The first book in the Runner's Chronicles follows Jacob Prime a young Commander stationed onboard Peacemaker, flagship in the Coalition of Galaxies. The courageous crew has been sent on a mission within the borders of their sworn enemy the evil Vion. Despite their best efforts to avoid it, an unknown force pulls the ship down to the planet's surface. Peacemaker crash lands just outside an abandoned city surrounded by a great and mysterious wall.Immediately after the crash, Jacob Prime rescues a twelve-year-old girl from a fire onboard the ship with the help of his friend Vidge. The crew finds themselves running from a herd of animals called the 'maim'. They escape into the city where the surviving crewmembers find refuge for the next fifteen years.Over a decade of battling hunger and each other, pass slowly in this dystopian society. That is until Jacob and Vidge reunite with tactical officer Jonus Nyx. Wherever Nyx goes, trouble is sure to follow. Shortly after an uprising breaks out within the colony. Jacob, Vidge, attempt to flee the wall and find peace to live out their days in the distant mountain range. On the way, Jacob finds winged pilgrim Kiri Ryder, the girl he helped rescue so many years ago from the Peacemaker crash.Together, they discover a secret 'vessel' exists hidden in a temple in the mountains where the Runner's are already trying to escape. Kiri believes that it is a means to ascend to a higher existence, while Jacob is hoping that he found a way off the inhospitable planet he calls 'Hell'. All the while, they find themselves pursued by a band of 'Warhawks' bent on deadly revenge. Their leader is out to kill Jacob, who he blames for Peacemaker’s ill fated voyage.