Andre Cross keeps his volatile temper on a sturdy leash--an implant auto-medicating him to subdue his violent impulses.

Dreaming of leaving his dark past behind, he slaves away on Brulle's perilous vertical farms, and peddles the drug Neura, to fund his escape to a distant ocean city called Anchora.

But when he meets the intriguing android Mo Da, he discovers the implant not only sedates his aggression, it also subdues his ability to love. Andre's desires unravel his carefully controlled plans, delivering him to a place where even his implant may not contain his rising...