Abandoned and scared, but less alone than he could have ever imagined, Sam awakens to the screams of the other children on the island of Fervor, and the absence of all adults. To make matters worse, despite hearing this chaos in his head, he finds himself deaf to the normal sounds around him. His only answers are now being provided by a strangely charismatic boy named Francis who is about to lead Sam to a gathering that will alter his life. Why have things changed so drastically on the island, who is responsible for these changes, and what does this mean to the remaining inhabitants of Fervor?

The refugees from Fervor have made their escape from the island with Elliot Masterson’s help, only to find that there is nobody waiting on the Mainland to lead them to the sanctuary of Elevation as promised. Now they have to scramble to make their own way there, unassisted. At the same time, Elliot and the ex-Control, Royce, remain on Fervor with the Languorite, searching for Elliot’s nephew, additional children yearning for escape, and more answers to the puzzle that the scholars have created via their strange experiment. Will Sam and his friends reach Elevation and discover what has become of the latents, while evading capture by the scholars? Will Elliot find Malcolm and help others to reach freedom from Fervor, with minimal casualties? Only time will see if they achieve their objectives and eventually manage to reunite. It turns out, however, that time is not on their side.

Arriving at Windlea, the refugees from Fervor encounter a chilly reception. The latents there do not welcome them with open arms, as had originally been expected, nor do they include the Fervor refugees in their planning to confront the scholars. Even worse, Elliot appears to have abandoned the youths he once championed, either out of a sense of hopelessness or an overwhelming guilt. Feeling rejected, Sam and his friends start to plot their own rescue, a journey to Transcendence to recover Sarah and the abducted ex-Controls. With new resources, new information, their talents and unexpected alliances, it will be tricky, but they think they can make it work ... that is, if the latents, the scholars, their pet Teller, Grace, or even the very hostile environment of Windlea, don't end up standing in their way.

There’s no place like home, especially if the only home you've ever known wasn't really home at all. The refuges from Fervor have been running since they left their island “home” in hopes of finding something better - something real. They didn't find it at Elevation and they didn't find it at Windlea either. Their quest has now brought them to Providence, but it’s not quite home for Sam and his house-family just yet. The new settlement offers its own set of questions for which Sam’s not sure they will find the answers they need: What do you do with a girl like Grace? Having spent her life as a caged animal under the thumb of the Scholars, how do you introduce her safely to freedom? What happens once the residents of Providence start having children of their own? None of them have had a normal childhood. Could their offspring ever truly expect one? How do you fix the Fixer? Sarah came back from Transcendence as damaged goods – where will they find someone who can help her? And lastly, but most importantly... Will they ever really be safe?