Life in Bearmouth is one of hard labor and isolation, the sunlit world far above the mine a distant memory. Newt has lived in the mine since the age of four, and accepts everything from the harsh working conditions to the brutality of the mine's leaders--until the mysterious Devlin arrives and dares to ask the question, "Why?" As tensions rise, Newt is soon looking at Bearmouth with a fresh perspective--challenging the system and setting in motion a change of events that could destroy their entire world.