2072. Soon a volcanic eruption will trigger catastrophic devastation. Production of a space fleet is meant to save humankind, and the children of engineers and scientists are touring the Lazarus, a high-tech prototype spaceship. When the apocalypse arrives ahead of schedule, First Daughter Leigh Chen and a handful of teens from the tour are the only ones to escape the planet. The starship is loaded with a catalog of human artifacts, a frozen menagerie of animal DNA, and fifty-three terrified survivors. A coalition of leaders is spearheaded by the pilot's daughter, Eli. They are hunting for a habitable planet, but as isolation presses in the struggle for control will mean the difference between survival and oblivion. Leigh must decide whether to stand on the side of the mission or of her own humanity.