Every six months on Regulation Day, children from the honorable city of Nepenthe take a required intelligence examination. Those who pass resume their lives as valuable students, but those who fail are imprisoned, no longer considered human. When fourteen-year-old Grecia Rivera fails the examination-despite being one of the best artists of her age-her life is turned upside down. To avoid her prison sentence, she must abandon everyone she loves and escape from Nepenthe. But Grecia soon discovers that the outside world is just as brutal as the city she left behind. Now trapped within a society of runaways, Grecia must risk her life for freedom once again. Filled with shocking secrets and heart-shattering betrayals, A Gleaming Shard of Glass reveals the dark side of modern society and the true meaning of free will.