Opytnyy stalker Dzhager dazhe predpolozhit ne mog, chto komanda, kotoruyu on vel cherez Pustye zemli, truslivo brosit ego umirat v Zone izuvechennogo, so slomannoy nogoy, bez oruzhiya i kakih-libo sredstv k suschestvovaniyu. Odnako ego duh okazalsya silnee smerti. Dzhager pytaetsya vybratsya iz Pustyh zemel, i lish zhguchaya nenavist i zhazhda mesti tem, kto obrek ego na chudovischnuyu gibel, zastavlyayut ego beznadezhno tseplyatsya za zhizn. No put k spaseniyu budet nelegkim: bespomoschnuyu zhertvu na zarazhennoy territorii podzhidayut svirepye ischadya Zony — krovososy, psevdogiganty, byurery, zombi... I dazhe esli Dzhageru udastsya prorvatsya cherez anomalnye polya i vybratsya iz Zony zhivym, udastsya li emu ostatsya prezhnim, ili perezhitye neveroyatnye stradaniya prevratyat ego sovsem v drugogo cheloveka?
