Nora lives in the Convent. She has been chosen since birth to join the Mothers, who rule the Convent in wisdom and love by gentling the poor souls born as males. Only one thing stands in Nora's way: . Jude leaves home with his fiddle and a dream to see a real live girl. It is Nora's duty, as a First, to capture any wild boys who trespass on Convent territory. But Jude is not a typical wild boy. He threatens to upend Nora's world. From their differences and desperation arises a passion that could shatter all that the Mothers have built.