Miles awakens from the endless dream on the Hub, at first he’s confused. He always thought the Hub was the real world and for some time he thought that the actual real world is only the part of the Hub (one of its worlds). He stumbles around for some time, gets out of the city, and realizes that this place evokes so much stronger experiences than anything he had ever felt. Soon after he is approached by Caleb, a Naturekeeper. He tells him that he was forced out of the dream world by Outliers who are trying to destroy society. Unfortunately, now as he experienced the real world as it is there is no way in returning back. He is now in danger of his life, if he dies here he dies for real. Little he knows this is only a test Naturekeepers use to filter out potential new members of their cult. He passes the test and goes with Caleb to the headquarters of the Naturekeepers. He gets a short TL;DR about the world and how it works and then he is presented with the option to join the Naturekeepers to “fight for the good cause”. After he finds out he would spend more time with Caleb he instantly joins because he really admires him even after the short time he knows him (the first real human you ever met just gives you that special kind of bond to him.). He is then presented with the requirements he needs to pass to get into Naturekeepers (Some x step process similar to Hunger Games with added cult-like rituals) Then the training starts. He is quite a natural (which is obvious because he was neatly selected by the Hub’s algorithms but he doesn’t know that.). He gets closer and closer to Caleb and he even takes in on some of his missions even though he shouldn’t do that. We then learn some of his backstories, how lonely he is, how his father was killed by some outliers and so his goal is to cease them of existence, that’s why he’s doing the job of Naturekeeper in the terrain even if he could’ve been much higher because his grandfather is Frederick the Great leader of all the Naturekeepers and the controller of the Hub. This story of Miles learning things, passing tests, and struggling a little will go on for a while and then he comes to the final test to become a real Naturekeeper. Some time already passed and he’s ready for his final test which has to do with the work in terrain, with catching real Outliers. Unfortunately, he gets caught and kidnapped. In emprisonments he finds out Outliers aren’t so bad. They’re really kind to him and after a while, he meets with Shadow, the leader of Outliers, he wants Miles to tell him what he knows about him and then proceeds to tell his version of the story. Miles first doesn’t want to believe but Shadow’s arguments are just too strong. The last thing that got him was when he found out that it wasn’t Outliers who woke him up but Naturekeepers themselves because they’ve seen good potential in him as a Naturekeeper and everything since the moment he woke up was just a test if he is really fit of becoming one. Even the fact that they can’t put him back in the Hub. They actually could’ve and would’ve done it anytime if he failed some of his tests. That’s why they never broke the connection with it for him in the first place, so they could at any time brainwash him into returning back (and track him because it works as a tracker that reads mind as well). But now he has forever lost connection to the Hub as the Outliers destroyed his Neuralink. Now is no way back. He is missing Caleb a little but wants to force the thought of him out of his mind. He is now fully on the side of outliers. End of book one.
The epilogue of book one is in the pov of Caleb. He is speaking to Frederick about losing Miles in the final test. He seems to genuinely miss him and Frederick gives him schooling about never emotionally connecting with apprentices as it is too risky and can bias his judgment of them. There is a mention of the Outliers city and end. It also foreshadows Caleb’s conflict for the next book.
Book two is structured more with two POVs. You’ve got Miles quickly learning new things now about Outliers, getting to know new people, and doing sabotaging missions on the Naturekeepers and the second POV of Caleb who’s still trying to find the city. Then I’m still not quite sure what will be happening what will be the main inciting incident of this book and what the main plot points but at some time, they meet (Miles and Caleb). Caleb still thinks he can get him on his side but Miles is now full team Outliers. This destroys Caleb as all this time he was trying to find him and SAVE him and now as he was about to save him he feels extremely betrayed. So he goes full Villain mode. Closer to the end of the book Outliers finish the mission of the umbrella plot and are happy. Then epilogue with Caleb. He finds Outliers City, presents the pacifists’ plan to Frederick and but he smashes the plan of the table and wants to destroy them by force which totally destroys everything about the philosophy of the Naturekeepers. This shakes all the beliefs of Caleb he even finds out they’re “killing” a lot of people by sending them to the North Pole, there actually isn’t any reeducation program as most outliers simply cannot be brainwashed into going on the Hub again. The last nail to the coffin is when he is compared to his father and even finds out it never was Outliers who killed his father, it was Frederick because his father doubted his methods and since then he was manipulating Caleb however he wanted. Book two ends on a cliffhanger with Caleb escaping Naturekeepers headquarters.
When I now think about it, the plots of the books have Miles as a protagonist but in the underlying plot, we have Caleb as a character with the biggest growth. He goes from Mentor to Villain to Hero and only in the third Book do the two different plots (Of Miles and Caleb) actually combine in Caleb joining the resistance but with Miles, they both start doubting the ways of Outliers, especially Caleb just cannot turn 180 and join Outliers. He still believes in the philosophy of Naturekeepers and only thinks that the current leaders are corrupt, he still doesn’t like violence. In the end, the only solution will be a great compromise, and in the middle will be two people on different sides. Miles represents Outliers and Caleb represents Naturekeepers. Together they will break the current world order and find a new one much more healthy for the people but still not destructive to nature.
The end.