Runaway teenager Liz wants nothing more than an ordinary life. But when she's abducted off the streets, Liz learns her government has other plans. In a future ruled by a ruthless dictator, there's no place for the weak, and she's spirited away to a facility deep in the Californian mountains. There, Liz wakes in an iron cage – and she's not alone.

Beside her, eighteen-year-old Chris stands wrongfully accused of treason. The two are now volunteers in the Genome Project – an experimental program to enhance the human race. Stripped of their rights, they will soon learn the true depths of human cruelty. The two must work together to survive, but even then, their chances are slim. Of course, only the lucky get to die.