"When I saw my reflection in the mirror, I was shocked by the change. My expression was that of someone haunted by what she'd experienced while being hunted by the worst of enemies, of someone who'd seen her home and life destroyed, and witnessed the death of loved ones she'd buried with her own hands. My face was that of a refugee."In 2064, the US is rigidly insular, its fearful citizens kept in line by a merit-based system that awards extra food and privileges to those who blindly obey. For those who foolishly violate even minor laws, the sentence is the loss of all rights and hard labor at a Reserve Center in the depopulated central desert called The Great Dry. Yet even knowing the dangers of disobedience, protests against the unfair system are spreading.Eighteen-year-old Valentina Hansen understands perfectly what is necessary to survive in this system and cannot imagine anything ever changing her predictable life with her mom and brother at the tip of the Wisconsin Peninsula. But one October morning, Val's prescient abilities warn her of a rapidly approaching and unstoppable horror she doesn't understand, and that no one is prepared for.As the world she knows crumbles into ashes, terror, and death, she must also face a terrible truth: that she and her little brother Nicky are being ruthlessly hunted by a stranger who will stop at nothing to get them, destroying anyone who stands in his way or that of his organization.And in order to survive, they must learn to trust their instincts and each other, finding the courage to go on when all seems to be lost, while carrying information that may trigger events which cannot be controlled.