An expedition of young archeologists from the 31st century find the recorded memoirs of Sam Hardy, written in 2099. Hardy and his family are among the few who survived the Great Collapse of civilization in the 21st century. As the archeologists search for more artifacts from that period, they listen to Hardy's memoirs and compare their lives with those of the previous millennium. They hear of the time when all advanced technology broke down, pandemics and starvation decimated the population, vital fuel and mineral resources disappeared, and the human race almost became extinct.