The girl is at a sleepover. She and the others are asked if there is something she wouldn’t do to survive. The next day, she recalls the conversation, saying that there is nothing she wouldn’t do, which makes her father proud. Her younger brother and sister, on the other hand, say they wouldn’t do certain things to survive. The younger sister says she wouldn’t hurt anyone, and the younger brother says he wouldn’t want to be in a kill-or-be-killed world. They then talk about apocalyptic events, to which the father says that the family must stick together if one ever comes about.

An infection spreads, killing ten percent of people before anyone knows what’s going on. One day, the family burns their clothes outside, as fabrics are considered to be the means of transmission for it. The girl and her father then take inventory of their supplies, finding that they have supplies to last for a few months, as well as guns to defend themselves with. For dinner, they watch a television segment showing people who refuse to burn what they own even in spite of the pandemic.

At school, the student body is torn between those who wish to survive versus those who won’t part with their belongings. The girl and her siblings are subsequently pulled out of school for their safety. One day, the younger sister is found with marks. She lies to her parents about having worn clothes, though she soon confesses that she was at a friend’s house where there were still textiles. By her father, she is scolded for risking everyone’s lives. At the hospital, however, due to overcrowding, the younger sister isn’t admitted for treatment. She is instead quarantined in her bedroom.

Soon enough, thirty percent of people are dead. Violence becomes more widespread, prompting the family to secure their house and protect themselves on supply runs. The father is the one who takes charge of leaving the house, and while the girl wants to accompany him, she is instead tasked with keeping the house safe. At night, however, the father reveals to his children that the mother has been infected. From then on, the father takes care of her and his youngest daughter, both of whom have skin riddled with red marks. Knowing that her father will soon succumb to infection as well, the girl feels responsibility oncoming.

One day, the father makes a supply run to get pharmaceuticals. However, after several hours, he never returns, which causes the girl and her younger brother to worry. Days go by without him, which breaks the girl’s resolve and makes her cry. She then calms herself down, knowing that she will have to take care of her family from now on.

When pharmaceuticals run low, the girl decides that she can no longer take the risk of her mother and younger sister around. She sends her younger brother out as a distraction, after which she holds her mother and younger sister at gunpoint, forcing them outside. The younger brother cries the next morning after finding out that they have gone. The girl convinces him that they left of their own accord, sacrificing themselves for their survival.

Electricity, internet, and television are lost, making the neighborhood pitch-black at night. The girl keeps to her younger brother’s side and tries to cheer him up every so often, but once supplies are depleted, she heads outside to scavenge. The younger brother stays home, while the girl breaks into house after house, grabbing whatever she can find. Soon enough, the younger brother joins her on her supply runs at night. One night, they see a group of men looting a house, after which they run back to their own. When the group of men come to their house, the girl fires a warning shot, causing them to scurry away.

By winter, most of the houses nearby have been looted, which forces the girl to travel farther and farther with every supply run. She can hardly bring any loot back, which causes her to shoot, skin, and cook a dog one day out of desperation. After a supply run with hardly any loot, the girl laments about how little she is able to get nowadays. She contemplates whether she should let her younger brother starve. Finally, she decides to take her gun and shoot her younger brother dead, remembering what he said a year ago about how he didn’t want to live in a world such as this. Still hungry, she then takes her knife and starts hacking away at his body.