In a post-apocalyptic world, humans struggle to survive. Nara, just another adolescent growing up in this world, reaches 14 and has to take The Mending, a test taken to single out the best people for survival. She not only passes, but places extremely high in the final rankings, leading the government to take an interest in her and her background. The problem is, she knows none of it, and she can't find the strength to take the next series of tests, The Uniting, The Recovering, and The Following. Each test will threaten her life and her sanity.