Eighteen-year-old Jon Smith no longer feels comfortable in the confines of the metal cage he has called home for so long. Although he is in the midst of a raging war, a kind he has never seen before, he becomes focused, being drawn to imitate the movements of certain soldiers on the outside as they attempt to release him. He comes to desire his own armor and the peculiar forest and plains surrounding him evoke his curiosity for exploration. Some amazing story is revealing itself before Jon's eyes, and he cannot just be an observer any longer. He has to help. He needs to fight. Jon does not, however, realize the full significance of leaving his cage and how the mysteries and creatures on the other side would challenge his being and change him forever.