The ant queenling, Issa finds herself under close guard. She feels pressured to take the position of queen of the Redbelly ants. Although secure and protected, she feels more like a prisoner than a queen.
Slipping away to the surface with her best friend, Taini, Issa meets a young bean named Clove and his friend, a toothworm named Hotah.
The brief encounter ends with Issa being taken by an enemy ant hive. She soon finds out what it's really like to be a prisoner.
Meanwhile, Clove, Hotah and Taini seek help to rescue Issa and ultimately embark on a rescue mission with higher stakes than any of them can comprehend.