Out, the sequel to John Smolens's internationally acclaimed novel Cold, finds the former constable Del Maki recovering from surgery and haunted by the recent loss of his wife. His house, deep in the woods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, becomes a haven for refugees stranded by a fierce blizzard. Tensions rise as the weather worsens, and their flight through the snowbound forest leads to a bad deal with a deadly result. John Smolens's novel Cold was lauded for its "stunning brutality and uncommon tenderness." In the sequel, Out, nature and human nature again collide, illuminating the difference between being rescued and being saved.