Summary

In a society, where a long life is guaranteed, as well as the perfect job and ideal mate, and every day is expected, a rare malfunction happens. At her Matching Ceremony, when Cassia is matched with her best friend, Xander (a rare occurrence that one knows their mate), she thinks it's ideal that the two of them are placed together. 

However, back at home, when Cassia decides to read the microchip given to her (containing all the data about her Match), she is surprised to find not her best friend, but a strange boy. His face flashes on the screen, just before it goes black.

She is assured that this was just a glitch; that she couldn't possibly be matched with this other boy... Xander was the one for her! However, she knows this other boy too... Ky Markham; the orphan who moved in with a family down the street... Ky, who was an Aberation (someone who has committed a crime (or is the relative of someone who has) and is punished for it) and cannot be Matched with anyone.

Cassia's dying grandfather gives her an illegal poem, which she loves dearly and cannot stop thinking about its beautiful words. She shares lines of it with Ky in exchange for learning how to write cursive. On their hiking trips, they share their long-forgotten information, and get to know each other better.

Cassia begins to find herself wanting to know more and more about Ky, and she realizes she's slowly begun to fall in love with him. Near the end of the book, they kiss, but after that, Ky is taken away by the Officials to the Outer Provinces. Cassia and her family are also brought to the Provinces. She promises that she will find Ky, with the help of the compass Ky gave her and blue tablets Xander gave her. She also has to move away after the Society takes Ky away to the farmlands.

In a world where everyone is the same, will a spark in the sea of grey save everyone or send them further into the grasp of the totalitarian government.