Seventeen-year-old Kiva has been surviving in the infamous Zalindov prison for ten years. When the seriously ill queen of the rebels is brought in, she is given a difficult task - to keep her alive so that she can undergo trials of suffering, intended for the most dangerous criminals. They have to survive the torture of air, fire, water and earth, which no one has managed to do yet.

At the same time, Kiva receives a coded message from her family: “Don't let her die. Realizing that the trials would kill the sick queen, the girl offers to undergo them in her place. If he succeeds, they will both be free.

Kiva is afraid of an uncertain future. Her sleep is disturbed by the epidemic that is spreading through the prison, as well as Jaren - a new prisoner whose presence is more important to her than she can admit...