In this often-overlooked science-fiction classic, seventeen -year-old Viola follows her adventurous brother Terry and young lawyer-turned-thief Bobby through a shadowy hell dimension and into a nightmarish future America. In the year 2118, in the city-state of Philadelphia, the poor must compete in a series of hopelessly rigged games if they hope to escape a life of abject servitude and join the ruling class. The losers are publicly executed. Viola, Terry, and Bobby have no choice but to join the games in order to find their way back home to the past.