After escaping the lab where he was genetically engineered, sixteen-year-old Nate finds shelter in the lawless quarantine zone, where a group of scavengers become the family he's always longed for--even if he can't risk telling them what he is. With time running out, Nate is left with only two options: work for a shadowy terrorist organization that has the means to keep him alive, or stay and die with the boy he loves.