The Naturals. Pirates hunt them. Islanders fear them. Orphans pray for them.

In 2104, mankind witnessed the first of many natural disasters when Mother Nature ripped the planet apart, creating small islands, giving pirates the opportunity to seize control.

Tippy Lopez was born forty years after the destruction. She knows nothing about the old world and its technology. In her world, everyone's safety relies solely on the Pirate Commodore and her law. But she grew up listening to stories about one clan that refused pirate rules. The Naturals. Tippy and her friends wanted to be just like them. For two years, they helped all those in need, especially the orphans. During every raid, they hid them in a secret bunker, until they were caught by the Commodore and sentenced to ten years mining sulfur.

Six years into their punishment, the Naturals attack Tippy's cavern, and they are not what she once believed. They are worse than any pirate crew. They force the orphans into four gruesome phases, where only the strong survive and the weak are killed. If Tippy and her friends want to escape, and finally be free, they'll need to be among the strongest. But with her friends hardened by prison life, she fears when the time comes, she won't be able to stop them from joining. When the prize is revealed, even Tippy can't trust herself not to become a Natural.