In a word ruled by control and dominated by uniformity one young man searches for his identity and becomes a hero for freedom.
After the Great Collapse the world is divided into five great cities. The area surrounding the cities is a barren wasteland filled with marauders, cannibals, wild beasts, and unspeakable dangers. To prevent another collapse the Patriarch, Dios's strict government leaders enforce harsh laws and suppress any expression of individuality in their city.
Jett Lasting is an orphan who lives outside the class system set up by the Patriarch. Stealing in order to survive Jett comes to realize that this life created by the Patriarch may be safe, but it isn't much of a life. Trying to discover who he is and to find something worth living for, something to give meaning to his existence Jett stumbles into a rebellion and quickly becomes a champion in its ranks.
When the woman he loves is taken by the Patriarch Jett undergoes a dangerous mission which results in his being banished to the Outland. Now he must survive a world he doesn't know, find new friends, and discover who betrayed him all while trying to get back into a city that has not been broken into in over a hundred years.