Hope can exist in the direst of situations.

In a desert city ravaged by a war between humans and gene-altered hybrids, homeless children are either enslaved by the underworld or housed in austere camps called Orphan Pods. Abandoned by his mother and trapped in the Pods, sixteen-year-old Toref yearns to free his sisters from slavery.

With his friends, an illiterate mastermind and a double-amputee coder, Toref plans a rescue, but quickly runs afoul of the deadly casino bosses. His only hope is to recruit Idris, a street-savvy, hybrid hover-pilot. But her trust is hard won.

Fifteen-year-old Idris nearly died escaping her own slavery. She dreams of finding a better life in the distant fringe territories and wants zero ties holding her back. Still, she cannot ignore Toref's anguished plea for help. He and his friends offer a kinship that Idris desperately needs, and she discovers a love she never thought possible. Saving Toref's sisters; however, means stepping into the casino bosses' dangerous web.

Can Idris and Toref defeat the bosses and reach the safe fringe territories, or will the attempt cost the freedom of all who joined them on their quest?