In a time of a failed one-world order economy, the only viable currency is a human one. it is 2035, and the path of earth's inevitable destruction has finally been realized. efforts to perfect weapons of mass destruction and subsequently destroy one another have come to a head as the most powerful countries engage in an all-out nuclear assault-the time of the big drop-that nearly banishes everyone to death in a wake of destructive fallout. humanity devolves back to its carnal heritage of slavery to re-establish currency through the slave trade. nobody knows who started it, but the devastation ravages every organic life form, both plant and animal. 90% of human life is wiped out, and of the 10% that survive, radiation poisoning has varying effects on the human genome, creating both mindless beasts called ashers and beings with special gifts - alphas. as humanity struggles to survive, migrating to the safety of continental coastlines in search of fresh water, the planet scurries to salvage some kind of economic stability. enter16-year-old keesa donovan and her younger brother kiran. they live out their lives in a slave pod run by the establishment, just outside savannah, georgia. losing everything she loved after the fallout, she desperately seeks freedom while navigating the trials of teenhood, sifting through emerging feelings for her best friend wynn, and realizing the growing attraction for newcomer dobbs. confounded by her gift of esp, she is haunted by unexplainable visions of mysterious days to come, holding onto a sliver of hope that one day she and her brother will be freed. but on the fateful day of the annual reckoning, keesa's life takes a turn as fate steps in and forces her onto the narrow road of her destiny.