Near the edge of Jonah Whitfield's small farming village lies the Deathlands – a strange desert in the middle of a lush, green landscape. It is strictly forbidden. Jonah often lingers at the border of the Deathlands out of curiosity, hunting wild game where no one else feels safe. When he follows a wounded deer into the desolate expanse, he stumbles upon a hatch to a futuristic underground society. After setting eyes on a beautiful girl whose only wish is to see the surface, Jonah is determined to free her from a prison made of comfort and lies. Will he rescue her, or will he find himself trapped mere miles away from the life he has taken for granted?

\[The sequel to 2015's The Surface's End.\] The truth about the Deathlands is revealed as soon as Talitha arrives in Jonah's quiet town. Her presence is unsettling. Some are accepting, but others feel the need to prepare for an attack on their way of life from the people living beneath the desert. Deep underground, however, the facts about the surface are further censored and obscured. The Facility Leaders are doing everything within their power to keep their citizens - especially the Laborers - in the dark. But both worlds have been illuminated, and must face the reality of each other's existence.