Part 1

In the beginning of the book Ezra Trent and his mother move into a house occupied by Nyle and Gran, Nyle's grandmother. Ezra and his mother were living in the contamination zone after a reactor blew up. Ezra has radiation poisoning. Ezra's father, Mrs. Trent's husband, died from radiation poisoning. He worked in the factory and helped when the reactor blew. Ezra always said that it would be his fathers fault if anything ever happened at the power plant. He said this until his father got sick and died. Nyle was against letting the Trents into the house but Gran gave he no choice. The Trents were moved into the back bedroom. To Nyle this was the dieing room. Her mother and grandfather died in the back bedroom and she could not face caring for another person who could possibly die in the back bedroom. But she did. She grew fond of Ezra. She would read th him and watch over him when his mother would leave the room. Nyle's friend Muncie had parents who feared radiation terribly. So Nyle was afraid of telling Muncie about Ezra and Mrs. Trent.