The planet Migax, owner of Gateways that allow you to travel through the fabric of spacetime, is bursting with technological breakthroughs. Accepted into the prestigious Aksel school, Summer and her friend Leafsong hope they have found a chance to secure a bright future within it. Leafsong wants to become a Spark Watcher, a brave protector of diplomats, and Summer wants to find a way to climb out of the poverty that's dominated her family's life ever since she can remember. But the great city they find themselves in hides secrets. An underground organization is rising, a manufacturer of military weapons is testing a sinister, telepathic creation, and rumors of terrorist attacks are sending the country into paranoia. As the government tightens its grip on the outcasts at the edge of the cities, Summer and Leafsong will be forced to navigate violence, school, family, mystery, and conspiracy in an effort to find their place in a country increasingly headed for dystopia.