If you're familiar with the author, you won't be surprised by how much is packed into this novel. Really two books in one, the first half recounts an apocolyptic, near-extinction-level event, while the second half takes place centuries in the future after the earth has been recovering. The rather implausible salvation of humanity reside within the International Space Station in the form of a handful of surviving female astronauts who become the "Seven Eves".