All her life, Cardamon has been warned to stay away from the Fence, the massive iron barrier separating the town of Harrier from the Seams, the uninhabitable forested lands surrounding it...

That is...she sees a boy on the other side. Cardamon manages to convince the other townsfolk that the boy is not a threat, and he's brought inside the Fence...

At first, the boy, named Bergamot, is not a threat...

Until...Cardamon makes the mistake of following the sound of screaming...back to the Fence...