In 2002 young Quinn Abercromby is visiting his mother in the London underground construction job she supervises, when workers uncover a cave. Quinn ventures in, seeing a creature that then crisps his mother and the other workers with flame. In 2020 Quinn rules a motley group of survivors gathered in a castle in Northumberland. There is little hope for the future and their numbers are constantly being whittled down by dragon attacks. They are interrupted by the arrival of American soldiers led by the half-crazed Van Zan. Rather than settling for eking out mere survival, Van Zan instead promotes a strategy of taking the dragons on using helicopters, tanks and skydivers...