Black's old army buddy, Cal, needs Black's help with a new case - a strange murder in San Jose, California, where a man was found sawed in half. The victim, a wealthy venture capitalist who was soon to become Black's friend's brother-in-law, disappeared just before his fortieth birthday party. The killer also seems not entirely human. Black holed up in Santa Fe with Miri, waiting for another friend of his to recover. from a near fatal injury. He has time to kill, and he owes a debt to Cal. But nothing about this killer and his victims is what it seems. When their prime suspect single-handedly kills Black and Miri by destroying a building in downtown San Jose, it sets off a chain of events that can have an impact on the whole world. Worse, an old enemy is lurking and ready to take advantage of the situation to exact revenge on Miri and Black. Killing these two may be his last act before he remakes the world according to his own twisted vision. Only this time he will have two of the most powerful beings of the universe on his side.