World summary: human contact with extraterrestrial beings leaves catastrophe in its wake and results in the creation of Orkonyths, monster-like entities made entirely from high frequency electromagnetic radiation. Over time, as they radiate, they decay and become dissipated, incoherent and lost. To survive, these creatures ‘feed’ on lower frequency EM radiation including human consciousness (classified as Extremely Low Frequency (ELF) waves) - this causes profound destruction to electrical systems including the brain. Close contact with an Orkonyth can cause significant and often fatal neural damage, with even brief encounters causing dissociation and memory loss. With Orkonyths roaming the earth, there was no way civilisation could continue as normal.

Decades later, 17-year-old Chelwyn traverses this post-apocalyptic world in search of his older sister who has been missing for several months. He encounters numerous regions and communities which have coped with the Orkonyth threat in various ways.