We are born to work. River Thorns knows it, but she does not agree. She believes in the beauty of nature and the human right to be free. But in her town, seventeen year-olds are assigned permanent jobs during the annual Choosing ceremony, so she knows that her days of freedom are numbered. When she gets mine work, she understands that she will spend the rest of her life cut out from the outdoors she loves. Her mentor Cole, who should be teaching her how to do her job, spends days telling her stories about a mysterious city no one should really know about. One day, River makes her way to this utopian place and meets Flint, a mysterious young man with a wavering personality. Alongside of him, she uncovers secrets which make her question everything she has known so far. Why hasn't she ever heard of this city before? Could such a wonderful place be even worse than where she came from?