Nick Clark awakens in a squat den in an abandoned dilapidated church, to find his girlfriend Gloria with a knife stuck in her abdomen and eating a corpse. While fleeing, he is hit by a car and hospitalized. The doctor tells Nick's mother Madison and stepfather Travis Manawa that Nick's claims about the incident are heroin induced hallucinations, but Travis believes Nick after visiting the church himself. Nick's sister Alicia becomes more worried about Nick's chemical dependency and state of mind
After the run-in with zombified Calvin, Nick, Madison, and Travis choose to flee to the desert, and they want Alicia, Liza, and Chris to follow. Alicia finds Matt ill in his disheveled house. Travis arrives and sees a bite on Matt, who convinces Alicia to leave and not risk contagion. The group returns to Madison's home to gather supplies. Nick suffers from opiate withdrawal, so Madison drives to her school to get him some confiscated Oxycodone to ease his symptoms so they can travel. There, she
While a riot rages outside, a mob sets fire to the store adjoining the barbershop, forcing the Salazars and Manawas to flee. The group reaches Travis' truck and escapes, but not before Griselda is injured by a collapsing scaffold. Unable to reach a hospital, the group drives to Madison's house, where Nick, Madison, and Alicia temporarily flee when the zombified Mr. Dawson attempts to enter, attracted by the barking dog Nick had let in. Nick leads Madison and Alicia to the Trans' house next door,
Days after the National Guard quarantines the neighborhood into a Safe Zone, residents try to live normally. Tensions build under the military rule. Madison is stressed by extra work caused by her home's being overcrowded and Travis' new role as civilian liaison. Chris shows a video to Travis and Madison of a light signaling from the Dead Zone. Travis talks Doug into getting mental help. Liza medically helps neighbors. Nick steals morphine from a severely ill Hector via IV drip then lies to his
In a military cell, Strand bribes a guardsman to save feverish Nick from being moved. Liza helps Dr. Exner with patients at the hospital. Chris is devastated that Liza left voluntarily to help at the hospital, but Travis promises to bring her back. Madison discovers Daniel detaining Adams in the Trans' basement. Alicia and Chris get drunk within, play luxury dress-up, then vandalize the abandoned home of a wealthy family. Strand recruits Nick for an escape plot. Travis convinces Moyers' squad to
The group drives to the National Guard's headquarters to rescue Liza, Griselda, and Nick. Adams agrees to be their guide when let go by Travis. The group infiltrates the base after Daniel distracts the guards by leading a horde of walkers from the arena. Travis, Madison, Daniel, and Ofelia go inside, while Alicia and Chris stay behind. Meanwhile, the walkers breach the perimeter defenses and swarm the base. Travis' group reach the holding cells and set the detainees free before reuniting with Ni