Two years after arriving at a school for the blind, Malorie and her two young children, Olympia and Tom, are forced to venture out of the place again when mass chaos ensues after creatures manage to break in.

Things take a major turn once Malorie learns of another community of survivors in another area far off and that her own parents may be among the shelter's occupants.

Malerman began thinking about a sequel to Bird Box after viewing the Netflix adaptation, as his fiancée asked him what would happen to Malorie and stated that this was up to him to determine.

[3] While writing the prior novel Malerman had to excise various portions of Bird Box and planned on adding them into Malorie, but ultimately decided against it.

[8] Bill Sheehan of The Washington Post praised Malerman for "balanc[ing] the novel's various elements — family drama, road novel, supernatural thriller — with skill and genuine compassion for his characters and their blighted lives.