On August 29, 1997, the military computer artificial intelligence defense network Skynet became self-aware and initiated a nuclear holocaust called Judgment Day. In the decades that followed, Skynet became locked in a war to exterminate the surviving remnants of humanity. Meanwhile, pockets of human survivors organized themselves into a resistance military organization dedicated to strike back against Skynet, led by John Connor. In 2028, Jacob Rivers becomes the sole survivor of his Resistance unit that was deployed in Pasadena after a Terminator infiltrator's attack. While evading Skynet patrols, Jacob makes an alliance with a group of human civilian survivors composed of Jennifer and her surrogate brother Patrick, an elderly man named Ryan, scavenger Colin, and hospital nurse Erin.