After a zombie outbreak kills his mother and brother, a guilt-ridden 19-year-old must become a father figure to his baby sister and a stranger overnight, all while carrying the weight of the reckless night he thinks caused it.

SYNOPSIS:

Rayyan Malik is 19, the oldest son of a Muslim immigrant family, and the de facto man of the house while his father works away in another state. Torn between the ordinary pull of college life — his best friend Julius, a girl named Cindy, a Halloween party — and the responsibility of raising his younger siblings, Rayyan sneaks out for one night of partying he immediately regrets.

The next day, an emergency broadcast declares a nationwide quarantine. Cell service dies, and reports of "infected" attacking without warning spread fast. Rayyan runs to stock up on supplies, gets delayed reconnecting with Julius, and comes home late — to find his mother and younger brother slaughtered by an infected neighbor. His baby sister Inaya is the only survivor, hidden exactly as her mother instructed.

Shattered by guilt and grief, Rayyan buries his family, arms himself, and sets out with Inaya to find safety, eventually rescuing Aaliyah, a fellow university student hiding alone after her father abandoned her to "go back for the rest of the family." The three form an uneasy, fragile unit — a boy forced into fatherhood twice over, a toddler who doesn't understand death, and a stranger clinging to hope her family is still alive — as they chase a radio broadcast pointing toward a survivor camp at the university.

By the end of the pilot, they're stranded at a rural motel, momentarily safe, with nothing but a promise and a direction to hold onto.

DUST AND BREATH PILOT