In the future the world was in crisis. Food supplies were dwindling and the strain on the environment was bound to bring an end to all life, but humanity was saved from extinction due to the tests. All children who turn sixteen are subjected to the tests and those who pass and are proven worthy are free to live their lives while the unfortunate ones who fail are not so lucky. Some view the test program as a harsh way of life, but it has saved the world and it continues to make the world a better place. Jenna Holdren is on the verge of her sixteenth birthday and she is preparing for her turn at the tests. Her world is turning upside down fast and she feels her sanity straining to the breaking point, but she holds on to her strength and she is determined to pass. In the final week before she is scheduled to be tested, she faces her mortality with her family and friends by her side, but all the while, the tests linger on the horizon and she knows that life will never be the same from this point on.

In the future the world was in crisis. Food supplies were dwindling and the strain on the environment was bound to bring an end to all life, but humanity was saved from extinction due to the tests. All children who turn sixteen are subjected to the tests and those who pass and are proven worthy are free to live their lives while the unfortunate ones who fail are not so lucky. Some view the test program as a harsh way of life, but it has saved the world and it continues to make the world a better place. Jenna Holdren is on the verge of her sixteenth birthday and she is preparing for her turn at the tests. Her world is turning upside down fast and she feels her sanity straining to the breaking point, but she holds on to her strength and she is determined to pass. In the final week before she is scheduled to be tested, she faces her mortality with her family and friends by her side, but all the while, the tests linger on the horizon and she knows that life will never be the same from this point on.