Ralph Burton is a miner who is trapped for several days as a result of a cave-in. When he finally manages to dig himself out, he realizes that all of mankind seems to have been destroyed in a nuclear holocaust. He travels to New York City only to find it deserted. Making a life for himself there, he is flabbergasted to eventually find Sarah Crandall, who also managed to survive. Together, they form a close friendship until the arrival of Benson Thacker who has managed to pilot his small boat into the city's harbor. At this point the tensions rise between the three, particularly between Thacker, who is white and Burton, who is black. 　　译文(2): 拉尔夫 · 伯顿是一名矿工，由于塌方，他被困了好几天。当他最终设法把自己挖出来的时候，他意识到所有的人类似乎都在一个核浩劫中被毁灭了。他到纽约旅行，却发现那里空无一人。他在那里开始了自己的生活，最终惊讶地发现莎拉 · 克兰德尔也设法活了下来。他们一起建立了亲密的友谊，直到本森 · 扎克驾驶着他的小船驶入城市的港口。在这一点上，三人之间的紧张关系升级，尤其是白人萨克和黑人伯顿之间的紧张关系。