When Joe Crawford confronts a mother abusing her toddler, he has no idea of the chain reaction he's setting in motion. How could he suspect the mother is part of an ancient fire cult, a group of killers that will destroy anyone who threatens one of its members? When the little boy is placed in a foster home, they begin their mission of terror. "Janz is more interested here in the human characters, their relationships and motivations, and the occasional strange occurrences, setting up plenty of questions and mysteries as he methodically builds tension and paranoia along the way."