Nora's younger brother, North, is sick. Deathly sick. But as a non-working member of her community, she has no money for treatment. So she is forced to play in The X Games, a national television show where the players must escape to survive - on penalty of death. Newt has just lost the only person he ever truly cared about, and life does not feel like it is worth living. But with debts to pay from not responding to his job for weeks, Newt must pay off his debt in the X Games, for a chance to find a reason to continue living. When Newt and Nora's paths cross, they must learn how to survive - and most importantly, love again.