Teens worldwide are vanishing on their birthdays. Their small numbers and scattered locations keep the disappearances off the radar. Parents and authorities consider them runaways or victims of foul play. Yanked from the jaws of death, they are rescued and transported by lightning strikes to mysterious Babel Island, where even the laws of nature seem unnatural and arbitrary. But one island law is certain: escape before your 20th birthday ...otherwise you die. Clearly, no happy birthday for the island's involuntary guests who form tribes and call themselves "transporters." Is their confinement for punishment, rehabilitation or research purposes? Is the island a prison, purgatory or giant petri dish? Tate and Izzy are 18-year-olds who unexpectedly become members of a tribe with a dozen similar transporters. Manipulative tribe leader Carlos eyes Izzy as a potential groupie and Tate as a threat. A budding relationship develops between Tate and Izzy as they struggle to survive their hostile, new world while trying to make sense of their predicament. They write songs and also collaborate to develop strategies for escape. With time running out, can they successfully escape or do tribal enemies and invisible forces have other plans for them? And will escape deliver them back to their original homes or to another, more hostile place?