Reena is an Outlaw, she lives Outside. That is, Outside Aretula, the only city left in the world after the Great War. When she is captured along with her father Liam and taken to the city to be fed to the tigers in the Arena, Reena proves her courage when she kill a tiger. Its blood scent attracts the others and she and the other 12 people who were to die in the Arena are spared, but not for long. The Governor is furious at her escaping death and he orders an even worse fate for the young girl. He declares that she will be the first female gladiator in history and that she must fight for each of the people who were to die with her in the Arena - Twelve battles for twelve lives. To save her father, she must survive all twelve rounds. With some unlikely allies and a plan that comes from an even more unlikely source Reena sets out to try to meet her destiny head on.