Two brothers are members of Zunft, the ruling class in a dystopian society. Tommy is the kinder brother while Bern is more similar to his father-cold and ruthless. When the Cottagers who are somewhere between servants and slaves, rebel, Tommy saves Tamsin, a Cottager he finds bloodied and unconscious in the woods. This encounter changes the way he thinks about his place in society as well as how his family fits into society. Tommy and Tasmin rebel again more restrictive measures. This is a YA story, and although it was compelling, it's probably too big for my school library.

I wanted to like this book. It's got good elements: political intrigue, sympathetic characters, a great deal of complexity. That complexity is part of the problem. It's slow and weighty. A lot to slog through and understand. And the writing style doesn't lend itself to emotional entanglement. It's a bit standoffish. And there are so many plots.

The Cottagers suffer under the oppressive reign of the Zunft. Tamsin follows in the footsteps of her father, fighting for cottager rights. Tommy, son of a prominent Zunft politician, is beginning to question the sovereignty of his father’s political group.

The two teens from opposite worlds are thrown together after Tamsin is rescued by Tommy following a Cottager attack. They begin to work together to uncover the dark secret of Tommy’s father and to help the Cottager people.