The main character Noah Daniels, his family and other survivors who live in an underground colony called North Col in the year 2020. It is impossible to live on the planet's surface, because of the extreme cold and constant snow storms caused by the impact of a comet known as Nemesis. As all animal life was destroyed by the comet's strike, the children are taught about these extinct animals with the aid of a holodeck.  As a side effect of the holodeck, Noah finds himself transported into the future, into a place called Haven, where a group of children known as the Nomads battle the evil Tao and his men, The Protectors, for control of a valuable blue mineral called thunderstone.

Thunderstone is the name given to the chemical compound of which the Nemesis comet was made. It is a source of energy and power, and can be used to do anything from making explosives to allowing vehicles to run on it like gas. It also reacts violently when it comes into contact with itself, causing it to disintegrate if enough impact is made. When drunk as a compounded solution, it grants long life to the drinker. Much of the plot revolves around attempts to control the supplies of thunderstone due to its many useful properties.