Essa história ocorre
in the distant future, in a world following a nuclear holocaust.
The cities destroyed, humans now live in small tribes, including Zachry's Valleymen tribe on the island of Ha-why (Hawaii).
A última cena é um epílogo :
Zachry is revealed to have been telling these stories to his numerous grandchildren on one of Earth's colonies, a planet with two moons, revealing that they had succeeded in sending a message to the colonies and were rescued.