Thousands of years after a cataclysmic explosion forever changes the atmosphere of the Earth, shelter dweller Evan journeys to the world’s surface in search of a way to help his people survive. What he finds is Rourke, a descendant of the humans who stayed above. They’re different: Evan and the other shelter dwellers are hairless, while Rourke and the other “Commons” have evolved fur to protect them from a harsher sun. As Evan searches for answers, the two men feel a growing attraction for one another, but Evan has been raised to think of Commons as subhuman. Can they look past appearances to explore their passion?

To adjust to the changes brought on by the Bang, Shelter 17 geneticist Evan develops a retrovirus to stimulate a growth of fur that will allow him to live aboveground with Rourke, an enthralling surface dweller. Evan takes the treatment, leaves behind the only home he knows, and follows Rourke to his village, unsure of how he will fit in with the tribe. Rourke likes the changes in Evan, but vast cultural differences and Rourke’s limited English make for difficulties when they try to forge a closer relationship. After spending more time in the village, Evan discovers some worrisome details about life on the surface. Soon he realizes the villagers are in the same precarious position as the few remaining shelter residents…

Sequel to Lavender Skies Quantinum Book Three Rourke, a surface dweller, and Evan, the Shelter 17 geneticist who left his underground home, share Rourke’s hut now, but their problems are far from over. Rourke wants to include Evan in life at the village, but pressure from other tribal members reopens old wounds Rourke had thought long healed. Tensions build in the tribe as Rourke spirals into depression, and he lashes out at Evan, driving a wedge between them. Evan faces concerns of his own when he discovers dangerous radioactive elements in the water supply. Evan wants to help Rourke, but doesn’t know if he can keep their fledgling relationship from collapsing.