Life beneath the sea is easy when you understand the rules. Delphin has life all figured out... until he spurns Chrysalis.Seventeen-year-old Delphin must spawn before their next hunt or face the wrath of his father-the pod's tyrant leader. Delphin's match with Chrysalis ends in disaster. It enrages Chrysalis that Delphin does not succumb to her special charm. She spreads malicious stories. What punishment will his father inflict when he learns what happened? A trusted friend hints at a solution. Delphin leaps at the chance to redeem himself-until he learns what's involved: fight in a tournament. Fight? Delphin can barely hold his trident without dropping it! Every year mermen die.Meanwhile, Delphin discovers the evil truth about the Hunts. They hunt humans but Delphin is no killer. In fact, he falls in love with one of their prey-a human boy whom he rescues. Will Delphin have the courage to reject every rule his father wrote, rise to the surface, and follow his boy into the treacherous world of humans?