In a color-coded futuristic society on Mars, the population is divided into castes. Darrow is a Red, the lowest caste, working in the dangerous mines to supposedly make the surface of Mars habitable for future generations. He soon discovers that the elite “Golds” have been living in luxury on the surface for centuries, having lied to the Reds to keep them enslaved. Driven by the memory of a lost love and a desire for justice, Darrow joins a rebel group called Ares. He undergoes a grueling physical transformation to pass as a Gold, infiltrating their most prestigious military academy. To bring down the system, he must survive the academy’s brutal “Institute”—a deadly competition where the elite learn to rule—and become the very thing he hates to destroy the hierarchy from the inside.