By the twenty-seventh century, eons of war, disease, and climate change have diminished the earth's population. Those who remain must struggle to survive.
Towns worldwide have sunk into coastal waters. Deadly viruses kill thousands each day, and a dangerous man with a sinister past-Pye Peters-wields an iron grip on the 'zones' that have survived nature's purge. Severance, Peters' radical new order, likes it simple: Exploit the 'breathers' and use advanced medical techniques to revive the newly deceased.
Thousands are brought back from the dead, kept animated and docile by medication that prevents zombies' typical rabidness. These modern versions of the undead are forced into a harsh rehabilitation program to ensure the changes take. Blake 187 is one such rehabilitee.