Kal has trained to be a soldier his entire life. His days are simple, and his duties clear: enforce the rules, upkeep the peace, and most important — police the elementals. If they step out of line, the Governance system corrects it. But when Kal encounters a young boy whom he suspects might be an illegal earthborn, he can't bring himself to report him. Despite his training and the advice of friends, he decides to help him onto what he believes is the right path. This choice lands him in more trouble than he bargained for, and he soon discovers that the veneer the Governance is built upon an ugly and crumbling foundation.