Two children who die in a car accident find themselves trapped in a shadowy limbo between life and death, where they and other “afterlights” drift above the earth except on rare “deadspots” that anchor them; as they learn the strange rules of this haunted landscape, rival leaders rise—one offering shelter and control, another exploiting fear and rebellion—and the lost youths are forced to confront power, responsibility, and the painful choice between clinging to a suspended existence or letting go and moving on.