In a world forever changed by events that prompted the rapid evolution and mutation of Earth's Animals,  humanity struggles to survive under the control of the Species Treaties. The treaties are a series of laws and conditions imposed upon all sentient Earthlings to prevent further damage to the planet. While the treaties were designed to bring balance back to the planet, and provide everyone with basic needs, human greed still prevails. The Elite still have access to more resources than they need, leaving the "common man" to rely on making their own deals to obtain anything above the treaty-mandated basic needs. As such, Scavenging and "Feeding" have become very prominent job descriptions, with Scavengers making excursions into areas that were once ruled by humans to retrieve items that the new residents have no use for. In some places this can be as simple as walking into an abandoned mall and retrieving unused clothing under the watchful eye of the resident species or a Treaty Keeper; in others it is a dangerous endeavor requiring stealth and avoiding more aggressive and territorial denizens. Feeders work within the scope of the treaties, taking personal contracts as hunters, retrieval agents, mercenaries, or investigators. In this dystopian near-future, Elsbeth Jones, raising her daughter alone after the death of her partner Mataias, struggles to make a living in Manhattan.  Together with her young daughter, Trey, Elz sits at the top of the ranks among Feeders and Mercenaries, so while life may not be great, they are surviving.  Hoping to one day be able to afford to leave the city, Elz contracts with the Creaux Council, the ruling entity of the Corvidae family of Avians, as a Feeder and hunter.  There's trouble stirring behind the scenes though. Mataias harbored secrets that powerful people would kill to discover, and their sights are slowly turning to Elz and Trey.