The long, bitter winters are getting worse, and a state of emergency has been declared across Europe. In Poland, where fifteen-year-old Magda lives, there are frequent power cuts and fuel shortages. After the death of her grandmother and the evacuation of her village, Magda joins forces with the arrogant, handsome Ivan and smuggles her way on to a truck bound for London, where she hopes to find her mother. But London, when they reach it, is a nightmarish and far-from-welcoming world. Riots are commonplace, and the growing chaos is exploited by criminals and terrorists alike. Magda's mother is nowhere be found, and as the lost girl struggles to come to terms with her changing situation, she is befriended by a ragtag group of travellers planning a new home and future. Together they will need all the cunning they possess to survive in the frozen wilderness of Britain, which has become just as lawless as the city.