The story takes place on an alternative Earth where Russia launched its nuclear weapons at Ukraine. However,  before the world could retaliate, electrical storms surged out from the points of impact. The world plunged into chaos as each country went dark after the storm passed over. It was only once footage managed to make it out that the world finally realised the magnitude of the problem.

The horrific footage's importance wasn't because of its clear images showing a lighting bolt strike up close as it hit a group of scientists at the edge of the storm, killing most. But it was the part that came after. The people who had been lucky enough to survive the strike started frothing at the mouth before they suddenly got up and started attacking everyone around them, ripping them apart as they moved from victim to victim.

The Americas were the first to shut their borders, refusing and even striking down any planes that dared to fly across the Atlantic, confident that the storms couldn't cross the sea but deathly afraid planes would bring the virus, people speculated, had infected people as they came over. Now cornered, people began getting desperate and, eventually, chose the next best option: Britain.

At this time Queen Elizabeth shocked the nation when she forcefully took back control over the indecisive government and quickly chose to lock down Britain as well, only accepting those who could provide resources. It wasn't until six months later, as people were pushed to the corner of France, having given up on Britain as they saw the storms devour it, and they had begun to lose hope, that she suddenly started letting people in.

When the first ships arrived on the shores of France, the refugees were in awe as they watched lightning bolt after lightning bolt dissipate on invisible barriers.