Sixteen-year-old Tommy Shore lives a life of privilege: the finest clothing, food, and education available and servants to take care of his every whim. He is the son of the chief administrator of Aeren-the most important man on the islands. Fifteen-year-old Tamsin Henry has grown up knowing only poverty, but she is the daughter of a revolutionary who longs to give her and their people more.

Ordinarily, Tommy and Tamsin would never cross paths, but on the day of a violent and deadly revolt, chance brings them together. Now the world waits to hear the fate of the August Five, five men led by Tamsin's father, captured during the uprising. As the tensions between the government and the rebels escalate, Tommy uncovers a brutal truth about his father. How will he ever get Tamsin to trust that he wants to help, when she sees him as the enemy? In the end, Tommy and Tamsin learn that sometimes the honorable thing to do demands the most amount of courage.