Fifty years ago, the Syraqueni shattered Earth's defenses and claimed the planet. To keep their new masters satisfied, governments filled their demand for human workers and satisfied their quota by first emptying the prisons. Then, they seize anyone unlucky enough to be accused of minor misdemeanors.

Elara Veyne is one of them. Torn from her brother on a false charge, she is shipped across the stars to Syraquen, where survival is a daily battle. Her only chance lies with Jace Rowan, a former undercover agent trapped in the same nightmare. Suspicious, scarred, and unbroken, Jace is the last man she expected to need…and the only one she cannot resist.