The prologue

The apple never falls far from the tree...

Nadine Alcorn is the daughter of the mayor. She's smart, beautiful, and a natural born leader. Zachary Wry is the son of a criminal, with a bad temper, a dull mind and selfish motivations behind everything he does. Everyone thinks they've got them figured out.

But when Nadine decides to escape the safety of the settlement and make her own future, she drags an unwilling Zachary out with her: into the heat and barrenness of the desert, and into dangers they could never have imagined.