It has been ten years since the borrower race was discovered by humankind, and the world is still struggling with its shift towards interspecies equality. Caught in the midst of it all is Brooke Tucker, a student whose family is falling apart after her father is convicted for illegally exterminating borrowers. To make things worse, her classmate and self-proclaimed borrower advocate Kaleb Finch is determined to make her life a living hell when he catches wind of her father's crime. But when Brooke discovers that Kaleb harbours a secret of his own; one which could turn the tides on borrower acceptance worldwide if let out, the two of them are forced into a reluctant truce. Both Kaleb and Brooke must learn to put their own prejudices aside if they want to get along, which turns out to be easier said than done in a society determined to drive them apart.