Joseph Kavanagh begins his first tour with the Defenders, the border patrol force that kills Others (climate refugees) to keep them from coming over the Wall. The Wall is a massive physical structure that the United Kingdom built when climate change led to catastrophic sea-level rises and severe weather in countries closer to the equator. The Wall is the coldest place Joseph has ever been, and there is a lot to learn. The seriousness of his leadership and peers is a reminder that on any given day, being a Defender means “there is a good chance that you will kill or die” (12). If you fail to stop Others, the risk is both death and being put out to sea with them, where you are more likely to die or become the victim of pirates.

Life guarding the Wall is dangerous, but it is also monotonous. At the Wall, there “isn’t much narrative. You do have the constant prospect of action, the constant risk of sudden and total disaster—but that’s not the same as stuff actually happening” (14). Joseph plays with language to quantify the Wall.