Absolute obedience, servitude, neutrality. These were the laws that once governed Bartholomew, an immortal soulcatcher, until one ill-fated night when he was forced to make a choice: rebel against his masters or reveal an ancient, dangerous secret. He chose defiancé. Imprisoned for centuries as punishment for his decision, Bartholomew wastes away—until he creates an opportunity to escape. By a stroke of chance, Bartholomew finds himself in the human world and soon learns that breaking his bonds does not come without a price. Cut off from the grace that once ruled him, he must discover a new magic in 1930s Chicago. Armed with only a cryptic message to give him direction, Bartholomew desperately tries to resume the mission he had started so long ago. Relying on the unlikely guidance of the streetwise orphan Charlie Reese, Bartholomew must navigate the depressed streets of the City in the Garden. But in order to solve this riddle, he must first discover if choice and fate are one in the same.

“He was the lad who did it twice, tricked the Devil by a roll of the dice... He goes by the name of Stingy Jack, with a turnip lantern in hand to light his way through the black.” For immortal soulcatcher Buck, acclimating to newfound freedom in 1934 Chicago would have been impossible if not for the selfless actions of Charlie Reese. Now separated from his mortal friend, Buck accepts a new mission: to save the Shepherdess, whose unclaimed soul will soon stand trial in his old world, Euxinus. Buck must find the Shepherdess’ beloved, the infamous Trickster Stingy Jack, and convince him to testify on behalf of her soul. Furthermore, Buck must ensure Stingy Jack is worthy to stand as her witness. It’s no easy feat; Hades, sworn enemy of Stingy Jack, threatens to thwart Buck’s mission at every twist and turn in hopes of seizing the Shepherdess’ soul—and the secret she holds—for himself. Set on a whirlwind path that leads him on an odyssey across the American Midwest, Buck must rely on untested skills while being ever-mindful of his dangerous surroundings as he prepares himself for his return to the dark, desolate realm of Euxinus.

"In the unwritten history of the universe, there is no known beginning. The realm of Euxinus simply was." Transported to the supernatural world of Euxinus, the Trickster Stingy Jack is uneasy and unprepared to stand witness in the trial of his beloved. Allied only with the soulcatcher Buck, who retrieved him from the mortal realm, he finds himself thrown into chaos as creatures and enemies of all forms stand in their way. Perhaps most dangerous of all, however, is the continual battle within: his wickedness fights to maintain control over his desire to embrace his better nature. With the trial drawing near, the opposing factions of Heaven and Hell gather in Squabbles Hollow and Jack realizes there is more to being the Eden Wanderer than he initially thought. Under Buck's guidance, he naviagates through the trial's complex puzzle of formalities and deities, servants and masters, armed only with a haphazard plan and every ounce of rhetoric they can muster. But even together, the Breedling and the Trickster may not be enough to win this battle. There's much more at stake than the soul of the Shepherdess—and with no more opportunities left to sway the outcome in their favor, it will all come down to a stunning secret embedded in Stingy Jack's past.