It was published on March 9, 2010 by Random House Delacorte Press and is written in first person narrative, present tense from the point of view of a teen girl named Gabrielle.

The novel is set in a post-apocalyptic world where zombie "Mudo" wander the earth, their sole purpose to infect all living humans.

She lives with her mother, Mary (the protagonist of the first novel), in a lighthouse isolated from the rest of town.

Cira pressures Gabry to sneak over the wall protecting them from the Mudo to an abandoned amusement park with other teens from Vista.

Gabry is afraid that Mudo will get through the un-cared for wall surrounding the park, but she goes when Catcher asks her to.

He tells Gabry to run before the Militia comes and arrests them, and she escapes over the wall, leaving Cira and Catcher behind.

She finds Elias took the boat to prevent her from returning to Catcher, so she swims to the park.

She can't find Catcher but sees Soulers, a cult that worships Mudo.

She watches as they purposefully infect a little boy due to their belief that being Mudo is a chance at eternal life.

He is suspicious about Mary's ‘sickness’ and about the knife Gabry carries, which she got from Elias and has Souler inscriptions on it.

A storm comes the next few days, and the Militia hangs around the lighthouse to help her kill the extra Mudo washing ashore.

Elias and Catcher tell her that he's immune, which is rare to the point that Gabry didn't think it was possible.

Catcher insists that they rescue Cira, so he releases harmless Souler Mudo in Vista.

Cira tried to commit suicide by slitting her wrists because shet Catcher was Mudo, and even though Gabry binds her wounds she is very weak.

They make it safely to the paths, but the Recruiters build walls out to the gates so they don't have to risk the Forest, which buys Gabry, Elias, Catcher and Cira time.

Abigail was found by Mary a few days later and was so weak and tramutized that she couldn't even remember her name.

Cira lets herself get infected and when she turns she attacks a Recruiter, and Gabry watches him kill her.

On the journey, Gabry gets more and more depressed because they don't even have a destination and she is thinking that Mudo aren’t really any different than her.

Elias kisses her and they realize they love each other, and Gabry wants to start something new and good with him instead of hanging onto her depressing past.

Elias doesn't see it and falls over the side, getting stuck on a piece of fence just above where the Mudo can reach him.

Gabry knows she has to cross to escape, so she walks sideways along the tiny ledge on the outside of the bridge, holding onto the gate.

She is a teenaged girl who is described as tall, with long blond hair and green eyes.

She still feels guilty about leaving her friends and Gabry sees her as very strong and fearless.

She is tall with blond hair and green eyes like Gabry, but she never appears in the book.

Harry – Mary's former betrothed, Cass's widower, and Jacob's father figure.

Jacob – Gabry and Annah's father who traveled with Mary in The Forest of Hands and Teeth.

Griffin – A boy from Vista who is infected and turns Breaker at the amusement park and later attacks Gabry and Elias.

Former Recruiters are allowed free housing in the Dark City and full citizenship, excepting people who are forced to join as a punishment, such as Cira.