Sam Fletcher has always been an outsider. A shattering event reveals a hidden power: he can see people's emotional connections as shimmering lights. This gift leads him to the Hartwell Institute, a school for others like him, where he learns to harness his ability and finally finds a sense of belonging. Yet, a hidden darkness soon emerges. An exiled student named Marcus offers a different, troubling history of the school, hinting at a conspiracy of lies. Torn between the safety of his new home and Marcus's terrifying philosophy of absolute control, Sam is forced to a final, explosive confrontation. He must decide what to believe and who he will become: a Connector who witnesses the world's messy beauty, or a Controller who masters it.
