As an Unsanctioned, sixteen-year-old Marit Tempi-Himche spends her days in hiding and her nights working the land of her mothers' farm, but her many years of hiding prove futile when the Guard discovers Marit's existence and she's hauled to the auction cells to be sold to the highest bidder. She ends up in the hands of a councilman's daughter who's soon to be wed to Greyson Kencharo, an eighteen-year-old in line to nab the keystone seat on a powerful council that rules Aktaria and keeps the rebellious colonies and their magic-wielding citizens in line.

Before the union can be approved, Greyson and his bride must pick blindly from a variety of vials containing phenomenal powers, and the vials they choose must consist of complementary gifts. In a freak accident, Marit-not the councilman's daughter-ends up with complementary powers to Greyson's gift.

Now someone on the council wants them dead. Thrust into the middle of an ongoing war between the council and the rebel colonies who want to use them to reclaim independence, Marit, Greyson, and a misfit crew of friends are on the run in a race to discover the truth behind the council's long, bloody history and the power behind their gifts. The unlikely pair must make a choice. What they learn could reshape the future for the better...if they can stay alive long enough to tell their story.