150 years in the future. Refugees outside one of the last viable cities on Earth.

One by one, they are funnelled into a refugee camp outside the city walls, for what looks like a life sentence of hard labor. But when Ricky arrives, he learns that they are offered a lifeline – overnight, they can enter the Dark Framework, a fantasy adventure game, and where the bravest and most cunning have a chance to find a key to the city. If they succeed, they can become a citizen of New Baravia at last.

As Ricky starts out on his quest, he quickly finds that he lacks the strength to overcome both the game's monsters and obstacles. But when a guild of mysterious shapeshifters offer to take him in, he has a chance to work with others at last. If he joins with them, perhaps could they find the key to the city together – but at a cost of the principles that Ricky holds closest to his heart.

In this dark fantasy story, which moves between a brutal post-apocalyptic real world and a virtual game world, the only way for Ricky to succeed in his quest may be to let go of his humanity...