New Caelum is virus-free, and its citizens are eager to venture outside for the first time in nearly seven years. But when an outsider shows up with a near-fatal dog bite along with a harsh message from Governor Jackson, it becomes clear: the elite people of New Caelum are not welcome outside the gates of New Caelum and new dangers lurk in the outside world.

With Cricket suffering nightmares over past battles and West discovering a dark secret his mother kept well hidden from him—a secret that threatens to tear Cricket and West apart forever, Cricket and West leave the city in search of a place for the people of New Caelum to settle. They will not only have to fight Governor Jackson's obstacles, they'll be searching for a future together neither of them is confident exists.