The first wave left darkness behind it. Only the luckiest managed to escape from the second one. But those who survived the third can hardly be called lucky. And the fourth wave erased all human laws, and instead established its own, one and only: if you want to live, don’t trust anyone. And now the fifth wave is rolling in, and Cassie goes into the unknown a highway strewn with the remains of people and cars. She is saved from those who are only human in appearance; from her little brother's kidnappers; from skilled and dexterous killers who are cleaning up the captured planet. In this new world, only loners survive. Finding a partner means reducing your chances by an order of magnitude. To join a group means to die for sure. Cassie strictly follows this rule... until she meets Evan Walker. And now she is forced to choose - between trust and despair, between struggle and surrender, between life and death.