"In an instant, electricity all over the world stops flowing, and humanity is left in the dark. Bern and Elena, exiled from their village for being too old to bear children, trudge across the desolate, post-apocalyptic ruin. Relying upon traditional wisdom for their survival, they retreat from the remains of civilization to a frozen wooded landscape where they attempt to carry on after the end of the world. When a charismatic stranger from the village arrives seeking their aid, Bern and Elena must decide whether they will use their knowledge of the past to give the society that rejected them a chance at a future."--P. [4] of cover.