Alex Northman, a rebellious boy from District 809XA, has been taught the two most important, yet simple rules, over and over again his whole life: Conserve as many resources as you can; never waste anything, and never venture outside the District. The Government says that these laws only exist to protect and conserve the human race, ever since the "Apocalypse" wiped out over half of the human population. Alex feels that the Government is hiding something from them; after he finds himself on the Outside, he discovers a secret bigger than anything he thought the Government could keep, and he and an Outsider named Kelly try to warn the Districts about the lies they've been taught while fighting against the dangerous force from the cosmos.