Thirty-two year old Jake Green (Skeet Ulrich) plans a brief return to his childhood home in rural and isolated Jericho, Kansas, to much fanfare from his mother and friends, who have had only intermittent contact with him. Jake appears to be hiding something, as each of his interactions with one of the town's citizens elicits different explanations of why he was out of touch for so long, which include playing minor league baseball and joining the Navy. Despite objections from his mother, Jake plans to leave Jericho as quickly as he arrived.
During Jake's exit from town, the electronic equipment in and around Jericho begins to fail. At the same time, a mysterious, possibly nuclear explosion occurs to the west (presumably at Denver, Colorado), and a mushroom cloud suddenly becomes visible above the Rocky Mountains. Distracted by the explosion, Jake is involved in a car accident, and is forced to walk back to Jericho. As he returns to the town, evening falls - and news spreads that a second explosion has occurred in Atlanta, Georgia.
With communications and power out, Jake and the small town of Jericho face the challenge of being physically and psychologically isolated from the outside world - not knowing what is left of that world, or how many others are still alive - and of finding a means of survival in the midst of panic and chaos.
