* The world we knew is gone. The world of commerce and frivolous necessity has been replaced by a world of survival and responsibility. An epidemic of apocalyptic proportions has swept the globe, causing the dead to rise and feed on the living. In a matter of months society has crumbled: no government, no grocery stores, no mail delivery, no cable TV. In a world ruled by the dead, the survivors are forced to finally start living.
* Lori's pregnancy has come to term, and the birth is near. After everything they've been through, nothing can prepare Rick and the other survivors for what they are about to experience. A major turning point in the series is reached.