Jake was the town loser - at least he felt that way. Each of his apprenticeships required by the town of Hillside resulted in the dreaded "letter" reporting failure. His time was running out. At his sixteenth birthday, Jake had to prove himself worthy of being a citizen of Hillside or be banished. The apprenticeships prepared youths for the Proving when they work as a group demonstrating their skills. The Proving took place in the Wilderness, a place where a fragment of time connected Hillside, a community centuries in the future, with a prehistoric time of monsters. During Jake's campaign in the Wilderness, intrigue ensues, and he must discover what his talents are to save the campaign.