Arsyn has grown up under the oppressive, controlling regime that took power in the chaos created by a world disaster-and she hates it. She dreams of overthrowing the Eirene's iron grip, or at least escaping it. But when she and her sister, Tatiana, are captured and sentenced to be killed in the dreaded "Maze," escape suddenly becomes an imperative. It will take all of Arsyn's formidable intelligence and courage to fight her way to the forbidden zone known as the Periculum-and even more to survive there. For while the Periculum is free of Eirene control, it is walled off for good reason. For the unprepared, the dangers of the Periculum are deadly. And as Arsyn joins up with an informal coalition of rebels and friends, the volatile dynamics of the group prove at least as challenging as the mutants and gangs she must defend herself against. But the hardest test still lies before her: Arsyn must somehow return to the Eirene and rescue Tatiana, and soon. Her sister's life depends on it.