Synopsis: A young woman working alone in a small special collections library is trapped in the building when invaders overrun her town. The invaders wear uniforms that cover them completely, making it impossible for her to see their faces. However, she realizes at once that they do not intend to subjugate the population. They intend to annihilate it. Much of the novel, which is set in the near future, is a journal of the young woman's solitary struggle to protect the books while keeping herself fed, hydrated, warm and sane. Several themes--loss, survival, dealing with the 'Other,' parenting in a time of war, life on a new frontier, and human history as told by the common person--figure prominently in this work. (source: author)