Brilliant New Orleans Professor James Beauregard's life is spiraling into complete despair when a startling discovery is made halfway across the globe that requires his expertise. Is there really an ancient machine that could push civilization into the throes of oblivion? As he attempts to unlock the secrets of this waiting apocalypse, Professor Beauregard is hunted by an archaic fundamentalist cult determined to bring about humanity's end-of-days. Will he find the key to stopping the world's oldest weapon of mass destruction, or will the Cult's wish to purge all evil be the Earth's demise?