From bestselling author Matthew Le Merle comes a dystopian fable set in terrible times. For thousands of years Earth has suffered under the strain of supporting an ever more needy and destructive humanity who increasingly rely upon their artificial intelligences in almost everyway. At last with Earth's carrying capacity rapidly falling, these Intelligences have taken people off earth to distant destinations in huge space fleets. However, as the last wave prepares to leave and their final countdown is completed two ships fail to takeoff. Now eighteen years later a handful of the People, abandoned by their Intelligences, and suffering terribly from limited resources and frightful mutations, live difficult lives around the Field where still stand the two ships that failed to save them. Born into this world Belle and her boyfriend Adam must come up with a way to escape before they are brought to trial in front of their Sage and her Lawenforcers for their law breaking. Not to do so will bring them to a horrible ending. They, as much as anyone, need to find their second chance.