Ralph Bean was born into tough circumstances losing his father to Viet Nam before he was even born. Dealing with a less than loving stepfather, he grows up as an isolated loner on a remote farm. With few options after high school, Ralph follows in his father’s footsteps and enlists in the Marine Corps. The tough upbringing helps to hone the skills necessary to excel as a Marine Corps scout sniper. When his operation in the Middle East is compromised, Ralph Bean ceases to exist and is given a new identity by the CIA. Now Jim Stalker, he builds his dream home in an abandoned limestone quarry with the help of some appropriated wealth courtesy of the Hussein brothers. Jim inadvertently meets a more recent war widow with a young son, and helps her to overcome the demons of grief and addiction. The two become inseparable soul mates and live a quiet self-sufficient prepper lifestyle with their dog Kevlar. Surviving in their limestone bunker after the balloon unexpectedly goes up, they anxiously await word that their only son has survived. Their son and his fiancé manage to make their way home in a rather daring manner where the four of them engage a band of escaped convicts in order to preserve their quiet existence.