Summary

At the age of eight, June Costa remembers being taken by her father to the park in the pyramidal city of Palmares Tres, Brazil, to see the king die sacrificially. The entire event is remembered as something like a sad carnival, with everyone crying. June remembers seeing a hologram-projection of the event, with Summer King Fidel tied down and his wife, Queen Serafina, delivering the cut to the throat. During this time, King Fidel put a bloody hand on his wife’s stomach, marking the woman to become the next queen for the next four years. June explains that Summer Kings are selected in the spring.

June and her best friend, Gil, seek to draw attention to June’s artwork in the stadium. The pyramidal city is divided into tiers, with King Alfonso Stadium at the bottom. Tier Ten at the top is where...