Ash and Natalie begin to build their life together when things go from bad to worse in the United States Guardians. Ash and Natalie find themselves in the middle of a mass unrest when dictator Purian Rose threatens to take Natalie's life unless Ash votes for Rose's Law - a law that would banish all Darklings and other dissidents to a concentration camp called Ten. When Ash cannot bring himself to do so. to trade Natalie's life for the sake of millions of Darklings - her fate is sealed. Elijah Theroux appears, a handsome Bastet whom Natalie once rescued from her mother's laboratories, where he was experimented on and tortured. It was his poison that was used by the Guardians to create the deadly Golden Datura, which was the core of a government conspiracy that led to the Black City uprising, and Ash was reborn and rose from the dead as the Phoenix. Becoming the face of the Rebellion. Elijah is back and Ash doesn't like him, it's obvious to him that Bastet is connected to Natalie and Ash is afraid that she has feelings for this guy. But Elijah may also have the answer to destroy Purian Rose's powerful weapon called Ora. To find out, Ash, Natalie and Elijah need to leave Black City unnoticed. But escaping the city and finding that weapon (if it really exists) is easier said than done, and solving these problems could separate Ash from Natalie, and even more likely push them into the arms of others.