It's the boldest conquest of our time--the colonization of Mars. Of the thousands who clamored for a one-way ticket to the Red Planet, only a fraction remain in the running. Now they're converging on Hawaii's Big Island for a nail-biting competition to be the first to launch. Mila Todorov has prepared for this moment throughout her young life. With her revolutionary propulsion design already built into the Mars vessel, she likes her chances--especially if she can team with her all-time idol, Major Jancey Beaumont, a former NASA astronaut whose last space mission made her a worldwide hero. Jancey is desperate for a return to space, but the margin for error is razor-thin. Can she afford to gamble her destiny on a woman so distracting as Mila?