Marcus, the main character, arrives in a new town hoping for a fresh start for him and his mother after the recent death of his brother. He quickly discovers the town is not what it seems and that he's been sent there because he is marked. Arriving at the only high school, where one strike means you get disciplined by the "suits." Marcus needs to learn how to blend in or it could very well get him killed. By chance he stumbles upon a secret resistance, made of students trained like the military, who try to get unmarked victims across the county line to a safe haven. But all is not what it seems when Marcus discovers who's really pulling the strings. With the help of Ryder, an angel with a bad track record, Megan, a psychic who can sense when Marcus is in danger, and Marcus' nightmares that give him insight to the dark world; they just might be able to defeat the powers that be. Marcus has to figure out how to get his mom safely out of the town, how to control his developing abilities, and finally how to defeat the priest in his dreams or he might not survive the experience.