"What is time?" begins Borderliners, the story of Peter, a student at Biehl's Academy in the 1970s. A troubled youth who grew up in institutions, acceptance in Biehl's is Peter's last chance to join "normal" society. Immediately, Peter is drawn to the school's outsiders: Katarina, recently orphaned, with whom he has fallen in love; and August, a psychotic boy who murdered his parents after years of abuse. The three begin to realize that they and the other students at Biehl's are part of a bizarre, brutal experiment that alters their sense of time and will tragically change their lives forever.