Already a social outcast because of his father's alleged betrayal, young Joshua finds himself trapped outside the mining colony on the planet of Cypress Grove. He faces an unknown jungle infested with a creature so deadly, that it has kept all humans confined inside their only settlement for decades. If he can manage to survive these alien wilds, he will then have to brave the even darker dangers of the colony's criminal underworld. It is the tale of a premature coming of age in an environment demanding resiliency, inventiveness, and self-reliance. But when teetering on the sharp edge of stark choices, decisions of life or death, can Joshua afford to consider questions of right and wrong, or does expediency rule the day?