Iodine wine is not a particularly delicious substance, but it is a necessary one in the refugee camps forming in Central Asia. After a catastrophe cripples America, the survivors drink iodine mixed with water to stave off radiation sickness.

Pax, Kevin, Lupina, and their friends are part of the Tribe of Iodine Wine. It's what they have elected to call themselves after the government relocates them to the camps.

Even before disaster struck, Pax was nervous about his best friend, Kevin. The two were troublemakers, but Pax had begun having second thoughts about their behavior....