Alex Barret lives in 'the Quarters', a set of broken-down slums surrounding a glittering walled-off city called the First Circle. Like all kids his age, on his sixteenth birthday Alex is scheduled for Appraisal, an unpredictable medical procedure with the potential to extend his lifespan. In a world where everything else costs, for some reason Appraisal is free. Alex has heard of every Appraisal scenario, but none prepared him for his own experience - abducted, imprisoned, and subjected to brutal medical experiments in a high-tech lab. He escapes and goes on the run, a heartbeat ahead of a ruthless army led by the most powerful man in the world. When he finally pieces together the clues behind his kidnapping, he uncovers a treacherous plot that only he can derail. But to succeed, he must penetrate the First Circle, the forbidden abode of the ruling class.