As 2032 comes to a close, Max Poirier and Annie Dekker are enjoying a vacation in Lofoten, Norway. Moments before Max proposes to Annie, a nuclear explosion rocks Bod , almost a hundred kilometres away across the sea. They soon learn that Bod is not an isolated incident; as they try to protect themselves from nuclear fallout, they learn that dozens of cities around the world have been hit with nuclear weapons and that nuclear war is imminent, if not already completely underway.

Meanwhile, at a small farm in the Netherlands, the retired couple Magda and Jan Bouwman are just as devastated by a nearby nuclear attack. Their farm provides them with a modicum of food and safety, but with a dearth of medication necessary for Magda's health and a lack of information regarding their adult children's survival, they decide to brave the unknown.

Max and Annie grow closer in despair, weathering hopelessness and the seemingly endless death around them as they trek south on Lofoten to find help that may never come. Magda and Jan find themselves drifting apart as their journey reminds them of their family, past regrets, and a secret they both know Jan has been keeping from Magda-a secret that might finally be their undoing.

After: A Cautionary Tale is a haunting novel about humans at their core: flawed, yet resilient and hopeful.