2050

In 2040 the United States of America is officially dissolved by a Constitutional Convention. State referendums were held in 2038 throughout the country for citizens to decide what new country they would become part of in the year 2040. This historic development was a result of unprecedented immigration early in the century from Latino countries and later a vast emigration by Americans overseas to their ancestral countries. During this same time frame, due to climate changes and population concentrations, a sharp decline in the availability of earth's most valuable resource, water, was created. This story combines both of these unprecedented historic changes. Atlantica, a new country composed of northeastern states from the U.S., acquired control of the world's largest aquifer system that is below the Northern Appalachian mountains. Contrary to its original intent and to current UN mandates, and Atlantica decides to use the aquifer water resources to gain economic concessions from surrounding countries which would create a major threat to peace in the Northern Hemisphere. Kurt Sloan, the last of a pioneer Scotch-Irish family, decides to escape Atlantica. His journey along a forgotten mountain trail, full of unexpected events and people, symbolizes the human and natural changes of the year, 2050.