(Sort of like Hunger Games only a bit different.) Mina and the other teens had always been afraid of going to sleep one night only to wake the next morning to find that the Snatchers had brought them into the Trials. The Trials were like tests to see how well one can survive in crazy bad situations. Horrible cold, scorching heat, floods, etc. Only, the Makers are more creative than that and the landscapes change every year. Most people think that the Trials are a way to keep the population numbers down. Really, it's just a sick form of entertainment. If any of the teens survive all of the Trials, their lives are set to perfection. If not, your body is burned. But, Mina and the others are determined to keep everyone alive no matter the cost, in hopes of ending this sick game.