The residents of a small, peaceful Kansas town are suddenly plunged into chaos when a nuclear mushroom cloud appears on the horizon, leaving them completely isolated and wondering if they're the only Americans left alive. But in this time of crisis, as sensible people become paranoid, personal agendas take over and well-kept secrets threaten to be revealed, some people will find an inner strength they never knew they had and the most unlikely heroes...

Centered on characters who share the same birthday, the story follows several decades in the lives of Jack and Rebecca Pearson. As the plot unfolds, it traverses numerous timelines, and intertwines the stories of people whose lives connect in unexpected ways.

In 1951 Florida, a poor, illiterate migrant farmer is wrongly imprisoned for fraud and served a long sentence. Upon her release, the embattled mother prepares to regain custody of her three children by learning to read and representing herself in the courtroom. Based on a true story.