Book excerpt: Upon attaining a degree in Earth System History from the University of Saurat, Rachel Elam, the school's star atol player, her fianc, and two friends receive a fully financed tour to study the old, disregarded planet called Earth. All of her life she has been enchanted by the planet, the origin of many life forms in her galaxy. She is excited to explore it now. Retired cop Sodedo Ronah, a true curmudgeon, runs the travel bureau and knows that Earth is not a place where the young graduate and her friends should visit. However, he is forced by sworn code to keep the true use of the planet a secret. Knowing that he is forced to allow a journey that will end in disaster, he and a colleague set out to help the young travelers. Upon their arrival, Rachel and her friends quickly discover that Earth is now being used by society as a prison for the most violent criminals in the populated planetary systems. With their survival at stake, Rachel must rely on her courage, intellectual resourcefulness, and her athletic prowess to escape the planet and save her friends and herself.