It has been 20 years since Lucie Bowen left home, back when the May Day Quake devastated Marrow Island. Having lost her father to a mysterious accident, Lucie and her best friend, Katie, were just Puget Sound children hoping to survive. In the present, Katie writes with miraculous news: Marrow Island is now thriving and it is governed by a new community. Returning, Lucie's journalistic instincts tell her there's more to this mysterious "Colony" and their charismatic leader—a former nun with an all-consuming plan—than its members want her to know. As she uncovers their secrets, will Lucie endanger more than their mission? And what price will she pay for the truth?