In a world where life forces are considered more precious than gold, Holton Winters and Sayne Rathford, two lovers ripped apart by their civilization, find themselves thrust into a life or death challenge by the very people who should be protecting them. Security and peace comes at a price. Waking up from a comatose sleep, Holton realizes that he has escaped the last year of sacrifice. As the most recent Dowry of the Cerulean Sector, he never expected to survive the increasing demands of life force offerings to the Premier. The nation of Halona is fighting the Fourth World War against a rebellion that believes life forces belong solely to their hosts and no one else. Holton agrees with this mentality but due to his imprisonment behind the nation's walls, he can do little to combat the chokehold the Premier has on his people. After making his return to his home Sector with Silvia, another surviving Dowry, he learns that his last year in stasis is nothing short of a lie. When corrupt forces bring Holton along with his new friend Silvia and his lover Sayne back into another year of sacrificial sleep, he begins a journey of pageantry and competition that come at a great consequence: his life.