Thomas loves the outdoors. He doesn't love battling the unforgiving elements and relentless deprivation in a minute to minute struggle for survival. What teen would? But when the United States collapses suddenly and regional authoritarian powers establish their rule, his parents are violently abducted, forcing the adolescent to make a terrible decision for his future, and more importantly, that of his younger sister; stay and be nurtured into autocratic soldiers, or flee into the harsh and exacting embrace of the wild? Nature and the wilderness aren't his only enemies though, as the ruthless Commission, an unwanted pair of companions, and Thomas himself all work against his ultimate pursuit of life and liberty. What follows is an unimaginable near-future journey laced with extreme hardship and impossible choices that examines what it means to grow up free. Free of worries, free of oppression, free of fear. What will Thomas do, how far will he go, and just how much of himself will he give to protect the only person left in his life?