The play is produced by HBO and is adapted from the PlayStation platform game of the same name launched by Naughty Dog on June 14, 2013.

It tells the story of twenty years after the destruction of modern civilization. Humanity is facing a crisis of extinction due to modern infectious diseases. The surviving humans are killing each other in order to survive.

In order to fulfill the request of Marlene, the leader of the “Firefly” organization, Joel, a middle-aged male smuggler, took the 14-year-old girl Ellie out of the epidemic isolation area protected by the army and traveled through the metropolis that was turned into a ruined jungle.

Faced with the threat of virus-infected mutant humans and other groups of survivors, they embarked on a profound journey that changed their lives.

when you're lost in the dark

In 2003, a sudden Cordyceps virus epidemic swept the world, plunging mankind into an unprecedented crisis.This virus turns infected people into bloodthirsty monsters that attack their own kind mercilessly.In this catastrophe, Joel lost his beloved daughter Sarah, and this scene became an eternal pain in his heart.

Time flies, twenty years have passed, and the raging virus has caused human civilization to almost collapse.Survivors established security quarantine areas in various places, managed by the Federal Disaster Relief Agency (FEDRA).In the Boston quarantine, Joel and his partner Tess relied on smuggling to make ends meet while also looking for their missing brother Tommy.

One day, Joel purchased a batch of car batteries from a gangster, but unexpectedly the batteries were resold by the gang to the underground organization “Firefly”, which was an anti-disaster relief agency.When Joel and Tess went to the gang to pursue them, they found that the gang had been wiped out due to the conflict with the leader of the fireflies, Marlene.The injured Marlene proposed a deal to Joel: As long as they send a 14-year-old girl Ellie safely to the Massachusetts State House, they can exchange any supplies they need.

Although Joel and Tess were dissatisfied with Marlene's request, in order to survive and possibly exchange supplies, they still took Ellie to sneak out of the quarantine area at night.However, their actions were discovered by a patrolling soldier.Ellie takes advantage of the soldier's opportunity to test for viral reactions and stabs the soldier, causing the soldier to prepare to shoot her.Joel did not want the tragedy to happen again, so he beat the soldier to death in anger.

Later, Tess used the soldier's detection equipment to discover that Ellie was actually an infected person.However, Ellie insists she was still alive after being infected with the virus for weeks.In order to avoid the incoming Disaster Relief Agency patrol, the three are forced to cross the urban center classified as a biological and chemical pollution zone.

infected person

In Jakarta, Indonesia, mycology professor Ibrahim Ratna was summoned to the police station.When he learned of an infection outbreak at a local flour and grain factory, he already had a sense of foreboding.Rushing to the scene, and after dissecting a body that had died from a fungal infection, his concern turned to fear.

The battle-hardened mycologist knew that this outbreak of infection was no ordinary disease.Under the microscope, those once familiar and harmless fungi have now become ferocious and terrifying. They multiply at an alarming rate and erode every living thing.Ibrahimovic knew that if action was not taken soon, the entire city, and even the country, could be plunged into this disaster.

He made a bold and extreme suggestion - bombing cities.Although this sounds almost crazy, Ibrahimovic is convinced that this is the only way to stop the spread of infection.However, the government did not adopt his suggestions, fearing that doing so would cause greater casualties and chaos.

On the other side, Joel and Tess are accompanying Ellie, a seemingly ordinary girl who hides a huge secret.She contracted the fungus but miraculously had no symptoms.They were told that Ellie's body contained immunity against the fungus and that she was the key to developing a vaccine.Joel, however, is skeptical of this claim.

The three of them traveled through the city occupied by the infected and headed towards the Capitol.Their destination is the Fireflies, a secret organization dedicated to finding solutions.However, when they arrived at the building, they found that all the Firefly members had died, and one of them even became crazy due to the infection, triggering cannibalism among the companions.

In desperation, Tess reveals that she too is infected, but Ellie's wounds begin to heal, proving that she is indeed immune.Joel had to face reality. He shot and killed a member of the Fireflies who had become infected, but accidentally triggered the fungal fibers, causing even greater chaos.

Tess understood that there was no way out for them.She decides to sacrifice herself to buy Joel and Ellie time to escape.She suggested that Joel take Ellie to find their common old acquaintances, maybe there is a glimmer of hope there.

As Joel and Ellie leave, Tess fills the entire lobby with gasoline.When the infected broke in, she ignited the gasoline and disappeared into the sea of ​​​​fire along with the horrific creatures.

Joel and Ellie continue to move forward, and their destination is getting closer.

long time

On the edge of the town of Lincoln, Massachusetts, lies a corner that the world has forgotten.There, Bill, a persistent survivalist, was already prepared for unknown disasters.His underground fortress is like Noah's Ark in the apocalypse, stocked with supplies needed for life. Every brick and tile testifies to his persistence and persistence in survival.

In 2003, when the disaster swept through like a storm, Bill held on to his fortress during the evacuation of the military and waited for the storm to subside.When the town returned to tranquility again, people had already evacuated, but Bill enjoyed this rare tranquility alone.He built a fence and laid traps around the town, like a king ruling his own lonely kingdom.

However, the days of loneliness are always difficult.It was not until four years later that a survivor named Frank escaped from the occupied Baltimore quarantine area and arrived at Bill's door.Although reluctant, Bill shared his food and clothing and established an initial bond with Frank.As time went by, Frank not only saw Bill's loneliness, but also established a deep emotional bond with him during their relationship, and the two eventually developed into a couple.

During the three years of living together in the small town, Frank always had a longing for the outside world.Finally, he met Joel and Tess from Boston over the radio.Although the four were in different places, they established a deep friendship and exchanged daily necessities and news from the outside world via radio.

One day, a group of robbers tried to invade the town and destroyed Bill's fence.Bill had to turn to Joel for reinforcements.During their ten long years together, Bill and Joel faced many challenges together, and their friendship became deeper and deeper.

But life is always full of variables.Frank is terminally ill and knows his days are numbered.He hoped that Bill could help him achieve euthanasia, but Bill believed that they should cherish their last moments and spend the rest of their lives together.So, on a quiet night, the two jointly chose to overdose and ended their lives in their sleep.

Soon after, Joel and Ellie came to the town, and they learned of their death in the letter left by Bill.In the letter, Bill hoped that Joel could find a new calling like himself and left everything in the house to him.Carrying Bill's last wish, Joel and Ellie drove the truck left by Bill and embarked on a new journey.

please hold my hand

Joel and Ellie drove their car through the desolate land of Missouri and headed toward Wyoming.Their goal is to find Tommy, a former member of the Fireflies, through whom they hope to gain information about the organization.

During the long drive, Joel and Ellie start talking about their past, trying to pass the time by sharing personal experiences.However, Ellie remains silent about her past and doesn't mention a word.Joel understood her silence and instead of forcing her to share, he chose to respect her decision.

As they drove into Kansas City, they had to take a detour into the city because the road ahead was blocked.However, this decision puts them in danger.Their whereabouts were discovered by several robbers on the street. These robbers were members of the local Revolutionary Legion. They ambush in the truck and tried to rob Joel and Ellie.

Faced with a sudden attack, Joel and Ellie were forced to abandon the car and escape.Joel first shot and killed two robbers, but failed to notice the third man who broke in through the back door and was almost strangled to death by him.At this critical moment, Ellie took out the pistol stolen from Frank's drawer and successfully shot the robber, allowing Joel to regain the upper hand and eventually kill the robber.

This incident made Joel and Ellie even more vigilant, and they realized that this journey was not an easy one.At the same time, they also learned that these bandits were members of the Revolutionary Legion, who, under the leadership of leader Catherine, overthrew the local disaster relief agency and took control of the city.After learning that three of her men had been lost, Katherine ordered the entire city to search for traces of the intruders, and was also looking for a pair of defecting brothers, Henry and Sam.

During the search, the deputy commander of the legion, Perry, discovered that an unusual “agitation” was occurring on the ground in an underground storage room, but he was ordered by Kathleen to deal with it later.This detail confuses Joel and Ellie, who don't know what this “instigation” means, but also realize that it may have something to do with their journey.

In order to ensure that he could better observe the city and find a way out, Joel decided to take Ellie to hide inside an office building.For safety reasons, they chose to climb the stairs to the 33rd floor to spend the night.And when they woke up in the middle of the night, the people who appeared in front of them were brothers Henry and Sam.

Patience and Survival

Under the cover of night, Henry, Sam, Joel and Ellie began their escape journey.The city, a once familiar and dangerous place, has now become their only escape route.Henry, with his deep knowledge of the city, takes on the role of guide, while Joel removes obstacles in the way.

The city's underground maintenance tunnels became their shelter, and dim lights barely illuminated the way forward.Ellie quickly established a deep friendship with Sam, who was similar in age, and the laughter between the two brought a glimmer of comfort to the tense atmosphere.However, on the way to escape, Henry revealed a deep secret to Joel - in order to save Sam who was suffering from leukemia, he had to play the role of a collaborator for the Disaster Relief Agency. This decision led toThe death of the former leader of the Revolutionary Legion, Catherine's brother.

When the four had just left the tunnel and stepped into the residential area on the edge of the city, the sudden appearance of a sniper disrupted their plan.Joel rushed up the stairs decisively and killed the sniper, but this action caused even greater trouble.It turned out that the sniper had notified Kathleen, and she led the team from the Disaster Relief Agency to round up.

Facing the increasingly severe situation, Henry decided to sacrifice himself and go out alone to surrender, giving others time to escape.At this moment, a Legion truck hit by Joel suddenly sank underground, releasing a group of infected people sealed underground by the Disaster Relief Agency.Among these infected people, there is a mutant host called “Big Mac”. Its appearance makes the already crisis-ridden situation even more uncontrollable.

Most of the revolutionaries, including Perry, were killed in the incident.And Kathleen, although she was obsessed with revenge, was eventually bitten to death by a Sound Seeker.In the chaos, Joel covered Ellie, Henry and Sam to successfully break out and spent the night in a motel outside the city.

Just when they thought they could breathe a sigh of relief, Sam revealed to Ellie that he was bitten on the leg by an infected person during the breakout.Ellie tried to use her own immune blood to save Sam, but unfortunately, her efforts didn't work.The next morning, Sam becomes infected and attacks Ellie.At this critical moment of life and death, Henry was forced to shoot his brother. The guilt, despair and collapse in his heart made him unbearable, and he finally chose to shoot himself.

Joel and Ellie silently bury Henry and Sam, a way to make up for their failure to save them.

similar

After three months of arduous travel, they finally arrived in Wyoming and found a self-sustaining community of survivors.This community is located in Jackson. Although it is far away from the bustling city, it is full of life.

Joel found his brother Tommy in this new home, and their reunion was filled with joy and emotion.Tommy has found his new life in this community, marrying its leader Maria and expecting their child.Joel and Ellie received new necessities in this community, including food, clothing, and a place to stay directly next door to Maria's home.

The beauty of life did not cover up Joel's inner pain.He lost his daughter Sarah, a painful fact that left him immersed in nightmares every night, and his mental condition deteriorated.Despite his attempts to hide his pain, Ellie discovers his secret.She wanted to comfort him, but he made an unexpected decision - he wanted Tommy to protect Ellie on his behalf, because he thought he might not be able to continue to shoulder this important responsibility.

Ellie doesn't want to give up on Joel.She overhears their conversation, and while she understands Joel's concerns, she still wants him to stay.After a night of thinking, Joel changed his decision.He decided to continue his mission and took Ellie to Eastern Colorado University where Firefly was stationed.

Their journey is full of hardships, but also full of hope.Joel taught Ellie how to shoot. They talked and laughed along the way, and gradually developed a deep friendship like a father and daughter.However, when they arrived at the university, they discovered that the Fireflies had evacuated, leaving only a map directing them to St. Mary's Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah.

At this time, four looters broke into the university and began to plunder.Joel and Ellie were forced to escape on horseback, but in the process, Joel was forced to kill one person and was stabbed in the abdomen. He lost too much blood and fell into a coma.Ellie is left in confusion and fear, overwhelmed.

forget about

In the dim light of the abandoned house, Ellie's eyes flashed with determination and anxiety.She held Joel's hand tightly, feeling his life passing by little by little.Joel's breath was weak, his face was pale, and he was obviously seriously injured.However, he grabbed Ellie's wrist forcefully, and his voice was weak but firm: “Go back...find Tommy.”

Ellie's heart felt like it was hit by a heavy hammer.She knew what Joel's words meant—that he might not make it through this injury.However, Joel's request put her in a dilemma.She couldn't just leave Joel alone, but at the same time she knew how important Tommy was to Joel.

Just as Ellie was hesitant, her thoughts suddenly drifted back to the Boston quarantine a few months ago.At that time, she was still a helpless orphan, undergoing harsh training in the military academy every day.Captain Kwong always told her that as long as she followed the rules, she could become a leader.Ellie's heart is always full of doubts and dissatisfaction.

Until that night, my roommate Riley, who had been missing for three weeks, suddenly came back.Riley's eyes sparkled with excitement, and she told Ellie that she had joined the Firefly Organization and seen a whole new world.Riley also revealed she had a surprise for Ellie.In that abandoned shopping mall, Ellie experienced unprecedented happiness.She immersed herself in the spin of the escalator, the spin of the carousel, herself in the photo booth and the excitement of the arcade.

The happy atmosphere was broken by cruel reality.Ellie accidentally discovered that Riley was actually a left-behind member of the Firefly organization, and her duty was to take care of the ordnance.Faced with this shocking discovery, Ellie felt unable to accept it, but Riley told her that she was about to be sent to the Atlanta site and that this would be their last time.

In that Halloween costume store, Ellie and Riley danced and kissed.Ellie wants Riley to stay with her, but Riley has a mission of her own.However, their joy attracted infected people.Although they successfully killed the infected, they were also bitten and infected.Faced with despair, they decided to spend their last days together until they died for their love.However, in the end, only Ellie relied on her immunity to survive.

Recalling this, Ellie felt a surge of strength in her heart.She remembered what Riley said during her lifetime: Never give up until the end.%Yes, she can't give up on Joel like this.So, Ellie cheered up and started looking for any useful tools in the abandoned house.Finally, she found a pair of sewing tools.She immediately returned to Joel and began to sew up his wounds with her trembling hands.

Time passed by minute by second, and Ellie's forehead was covered with sweat.However, she did not stop what she was doing.She knew she was fighting for Joel's chance at life.Finally, when the last stitch was completed, Joel's breathing became evener.Ellie knew she had succeeded.

when we are in trouble

Ellie wanted to go out hunting to find food for the injured Joel. When she went deep into the forest, she accidentally ran into a priest David and his henchman James.They told her they were staying with a group of people at a nearby resort and were facing a severe food crisis.Ellie knows in her heart that the prey in her hands may be the key to their survival.

For Joel, Ellie decided to trade prey with David for penicillin.While waiting for James to go back to get the medicine, David chose to stay and communicate with Ellie.He told his story, how he accepted faith after the Cataclysm, how he emerged from the fall of the Pittsburgh Quarantine, became a leader and led the group to move here.His story shocked Ellie, but also made her feel a little uneasy.

Because, she learned from David's words that the predator Joel killed before being injured was actually a follower of David.Ellie felt deeply bad about this news. She took the medicine and ran back to the hiding house, only to find that Joel was still not recovered.But David and his team came to sweep the place early the next morning.

Ellie tries to lure them away on horseback, but is unfortunately captured.David put her in a cage and tried to brainwash her.In the process, Ellie discovered a terrible secret about David - he actually chopped human flesh and fed it to his own people.Ellie steadfastly refuses to join in his evil deeds, and David becomes frustrated and decides to chop her into pieces.

However, Ellie didn't give up.She took advantage of the fact that she was infected and took the opportunity to grab a knife and hack James to death.She then ran to the restaurant on the first floor to fight David to the death.The bloody fight between the two set the entire restaurant on fire. Ellie was lucky enough to reach the kitchen knife and chopped David to death with all her strength.She walked out of the burned-out restaurant through the back door.

Just when she was about to despair, Joel appeared.He successfully found the frightened Ellie and hugged her tightly to comfort her.The two supported each other and left this village full of terror and despair.

looking for light

Ellie is a child born to her mother Anna at great risk of being attacked by an infected person and getting infected.

Anna knew that she could not provide a safe environment for her daughter, so she made a brave decision: entrust Ellie to her lifelong best friend Marlene.Marlene assumes the responsibility of raising Ellie, but fate makes them face more choices and sacrifices.Ellie's immunity comes from her symbiosis with the Cordyceps fungus. This secret discovery gives the Firefly Organization hope.They hope to develop a vaccine using the Cordyceps fungus in Ellie's body to save more people's lives.

At the same time, Joel entered Ellie's life.Their meeting was not by chance, but by fate.Joel developed a deep father-daughter relationship with Ellie, and he did not want Ellie to complete a mission that might cost her her life.However, Ellie firmly chose her own path and hoped to contribute to the world.

At the moment of approaching the hospital, the ambush of the Firefly organization made everything complicated.Joel and Ellie were in crisis, and Marlene's appearance gave them hope.However, behind the hope lies a greater sacrifice.Marlene tells Joel that to extract the cordyceps bacteria from Ellie's body, brain surgery is necessary, which means Ellie may lose her life.

Unable to accept this fact, Joel made a surprising decision: to save Ellie at all costs.He grabbed the guard's gun and stormed into the hospital single-handedly, even entering the operating room and shooting the chief doctor who refused to give in.He escaped from the hospital holding Ellie who was in anesthesia and coma, and Marlene's obstruction could not shake his determination.

Joel drove Ellie out of the city. He concealed what had just happened from Ellie, telling her that Fireflies could not make the antidote and had been annihilated by the predators.Although Ellie was dubious, she chose to accept this reality.And Joel was finally freed from the shadow of twenty years.

However, as they were about to return to Jackson, Ellie expressed her feelings of guilt.She hopes that Joel can swear to her that everything about Firefly is the “truth”.Joel was silent for a moment, then simply said: “Yes.”