They say the City of Graven is where all dreams die.
Eighteen-year-old Ember Lucille has spent her years as a soldier, stripped of her memories and presenting the innocent with a simple Choice: life in the City of Graven or death. When she comes face-to-face with her older sister’s fiancé, she offers him a chance to live in the last city on Earth.
He Chooses death.
Soon after Ember grants his decision, she’s held hostage by the rebel group she’s been hunting for years. Her captors restore her memories, and Ember recognizes her estranged sister, Solanine, among the rebels. Ember tries to shut her sister out of her life in fear of Solanine discovering her secret, but with no other family left, Solanine desperately wants to repair their relationship.
When Solanine discovers the truth behind her fiancé’s execution, Ember leaves for the City of Graven to run from her self-hatred and her sister’s resentment, but the sisters soon realize that distance can’t resolve their pain. Unable to forgive herself for leaving, Ember attempts to return home to Solanine. But the government monitors every citizen, and one wrong move will have Ember facing a fate worse than death. To live in peace, Ember must risk everything to do what nobody has done before: escape the city.