Tyler is a sheepherder living in a small community on a new frontier after a lack of work forces him and hundreds of others out of work. Eleven months ago the village of Barge Bend had lost their sons to the draft in preparation for an inevitable war with their western neighbors. They are finally having their sons returned to them, and once more the town seems to have hope of a future. But they will soon discover that a war in the west was not the worst fate that could beset them. The real threat emerges from the unknown lands to the east, and their hopes quickly change from becoming prosperous to simply surviving.

In a world where the Cure strips the elite of their humanity, emotions mean weakness. Yet Arella, a commoner full of emotion, is strong. And when her own sister is Cured and her parents murdered, she has nothing left to lose.

Racquel Wright is a stubborn, hard head, sweet heart. She's the only overweight girl in her school but that doesn't faze her. She's confident in her skin and doesn't care what anyone thinks. Except Cameron Richardson her long time crush. Until one night changed everything and him and her start to have a secret relationship. She's his dirty little secret.