In the snow-globe world surrounding the Pillar, where survival stands on a knife's edge, it would seem differences should be set aside in the name of the greater good. But people are people, and even in the toughest conditions they divide themselves into groups and castes. Intrigue rules, secrets spread, and the cunning play games . . . but not all succumb. Several headstrong Lucovian explorers have found a friend and trusted partner in Hunter. They share a common goal of escaping their icy trap. Joining forces, they set out for the lost research station known as "Curiosity," built by the Lucovians next to a mysterious icy anomaly where dozens of experienced explorers who dared enter its depths met their end . . . No one knows what secrets the labyrinth hides, including Hunter, yet that is exactly where he intends to go, knowing no one has ever left it alive.