No Blade of Grass

The opening montage shows pollution triggering a virulent disease that devastates crops and people. The illness spreads from Asia to Africa, Europe and South America, causing starvation, anarchy and cannibalism as hundreds of millions die. In a desperate escalation, China unleashes nerve gas on its own population, killing hundreds of millions.

A year after the disaster begins, John Custance, his wife, their daughter Mary, and Mary’s boyfriend Roger Burnham flee London amid rioting and the emergence of roadblocks. They head north toward John's brother David’s farm, hoping to reach safety beyond the chaos.

They stop at Mr. Sturdevant's shop to buy firearms. When Sturdevant refuses to sell without permits, John and Roger overpower him, but they are held at gunpoint by Sturdevant's assistant Andrew Pirrie. After John explains the situation, Pirrie shoots Sturdevant, and Pirrie and his wife Clara decide to join the group.

To get past an Army roadblock, the travelers are forced to shoot three soldiers who block their way.

Later, the party becomes separated when Roger and Pirrie race each other in their cars, breaking the convoy and scattering the group.

John's car is stopped by a gate at a train crossing. His wife and his 16-year-old daughter are taken away and raped by three men. John and the others locate them and shoot two of the attackers, though one man escapes.

The group later encounters vigilantes guarding a settlement and are robbed of everything useful, including their vehicles and guns. The theft leaves them without the means to defend themselves as they press on toward the valley.

With the goal still far away, they come upon an isolated farmhouse about 50 miles from their destination. They kill the farmer and his wife and take their guns, continuing on as a smaller, lighter group.

In an abandoned factory, Clara tries to seduce John, but Pirrie shoots Clara, ending her bid for control over the group. The act underscores the brutal, fragile power dynamics among the survivors.

Mary and Pirrie grow close, with Mary believing Pirrie can protect her in the harsh world they inhabit. Their uneasy bond reveals how fear and desperation reshape loyalties.

The group encounters a larger group trudging the same direction. John offers to take them along toward his brother David’s easily protected valley, but the newcomers' leader reaches for a gun. Pirrie shoots him, and the rest decide to join John's party.

A motorcycle gang rides by on the road. John's wife Ann recognizes one rider as the escaped rapist, foreshadowing future violence as the travelers brace for more danger.

The gang mounts a string of attacks and the travelers gun them down in a fierce battle, though several of John's people are killed in the crossfire. The survivors push on with heavier losses and scarred nerves.

When they finally reach David's valley, it is protected by a stone wall and a machine gun. David privately tells John he cannot admit so many people; he suggests John slip away with his family and Roger at night. John leads a night attack; Pirrie shoots David at the machine gun position and is killed in turn. The assault succeeds and John takes control of the valley.