Claudis is the warm and welcoming land that Asper grows up to know, until the words of a newscaster poison her mind.
Years and years ago, Tempus and Claudis, two neighboring countries make a pact that bound them together in peace, protecting both the people of Tempus and Claudis. Asper, from a young age, takes interest in Imergo Bay, Claudis's most famous tour site, but when she hears how the Tempus people talk of Claudis, and how they imitate her people, she changes her entire viewpoint. Suddenly the little girl who was obsessed with going down with her family to help at the bay, so that her family can have enough money to survive, becomes the girl who wants to drop everything and escape to Tempus.
When Asper is given the opportunity to enter into a life-changing program, The Avenir Program, which only accepts 150 candidates and can guarantee her a successful life in Tempus far away from her life in Claudis, she is torn on what she should do. Until the grave accident down at Imergo Bay, when she sees her beloved role model slip and fall to his death. From then on, Asper's mindset changes from the fear of living in Claudis to the fear of not being able to escape Claudis, and suddenly her decision is clearer than ever.
From then on, Asper embarks on a journey that she hopes will bring her the success that she ever so hopes for as she pushes herself deeper into her studies but as she does, she starts to question whether or not she will be able to do it. Will she be able to get to the top, or will she be kicked out from not only the Avenir program but also the potential of having a successful life far away from Claudis? Will she fail to honor her promise? Will she be stuck with the life that she promised not only to herself but also to her role model that she would escape?
