Cold is a special kind of cruel and Civilia is a country brimming with it. One of the last safe havens spared by the Mist. Not even the supernatural force of the Mist seems to want anything to do with it. The people not even worth swallowing. This chilling place, Civilia, is all Rowan has ever known. However, left alone in his home, he wishes nothing more than to leave it behind. But a warm, sweltering curse binds him there. The Defected. Those who are swallowed by the Mist are all rewarded, powerful, responsible. Their bodies, twisted by it, return stronger than ever. If they make it back to their world, they are beloved, valued and traded. Rowan's home country Civilia has not even one Defected, but everyone, at least once, dreams they might be the first.