A deadly National College Entrance Exam descends, dragging 30 million examinees into a hellish exam. Test questions turn into horror; staying alive is the only goal. Pass for rewards, fail and be erased. Death row inmate Ember Voss, convicted of murder, was forced into this death exam. Ember demonstrates survival intelligence. Scores can be exchanged for everything. Ember realizes he is far more skilled at slaying gods. A battle for humanity's fate has begun.