Hundreds of years in the future, a thick white mist covers the Earth, leaving only mountaintops habitable for humanity. The Five Families rule over the slums and junkyards, and the ruthless Lord Kodoc brings his harsh order to the skies. Ships sail the fog, like Hazel's salvage raft. Working for Hazel is Chess, the tetherboy, a boy who has a secret that Lord Kodoc, if he ever learned about it, could use for evil.