What if a disease could make people happier and kinder? Crown Royale (CR) is a virus that kills one out of every 25 people infected. But the majority who contract it not only recover but also feel contentment in the aftermath. Survivors are also compelled to give away their possessions and help those in need, even if it means risking their own lives. As the virus becomes a pandemic, generosity spreads around the globe. But so, too, do threats to capitalism and imperialism. Mariel (white), homeless prior to the arrival of CR, discovers she has a natural immunity to the disease. Rón (Latino), son of one of the wealthiest men on earth, is depressed and suicidal until he contracts CR; when he recovers, he learns he’s a one-man super spreader. While teens Rón and Mariel, who’ve fallen in love, tussle with the moral and ethical implications of Rón’s desire to infect as many people as possible—in Rón’s mind, a mission to save humanity—Morgan (Chinese/white), a brilliant, cold-blooded 19-year-old, inherits a fortune and funds efforts to create a vaccine to limit CR’s economic impact and increase her own global power. These interconnected storylines move at a breakneck pace in a compelling work of speculative fiction in which the distinction between right and wrong, good and evil, selfishness and selflessness is sharp and clear … sometimes. This provocative novel also exposes unexpected complexities and ironies in drawing those lines, echoing the realities of human existence. (Age 13 and older)