In 2002, the world changes forever. Every man, every boy, every mammal with a Y chromosome everywhere on Earth suddenly collapses and dies. With the loss of nearly half the planet???s population, the gears of society grind to a halt, and a world of women is left to pick up the pieces and try to keep civilization from collapsing entirely. The ???gendercide,??? however, is not absolutely complete. For some unknown reason, one young man named Yorick Brown and his pet male monkey, Ampersand, are spared. Overnight, this anonymous twenty-something becomes the most important person on the planet ??? the key, it is hoped, to unlocking the secret of the mysterious sex-specific plague. For Yorick himself, the cause of the epidemic is less important than the fate of his beloved fianc??e, Beth. Now, after nearly four years and countless grueling miles, the final answers are about to be revealed???and the truth may be more than any man could bear.