No student exiled from the Intelligent Isle ever returns. No one survives for long in the gang-torn, coastal city. But Jacob has a way back. He has a way to recover everything he lost, even his intelligent girlfriend, Adira. He has a secret mission. But his mission comes at a terrible price. And as Jacob learns more about his own past and the dynamics of power in the city, he begins to wonder just what he will be required to sacrifice to achieve the future he desires. Soon he will have to make a choice. What life will he choose? Who will he betray?