Sitting in the honored stalls of the Crystal Sanctuary, Calvin Gooding should be rejoicing in the message he receives from the Holy King of Duprin. But his heart is heavy. He awaits the carriage in which he must ride to deliver the fated news to his family. Time has run out. In the midst of this sorrow, exhaustion, and uncertainty, a sorceress from the Dark Province appears to Calvin. She promises to make his terminally ill twin sister, Marilyn, well again. As twins, Calvin and Mari share a special bond, and Calvin will do almost anything to save his sister's life. But in order to free Mari from death's grip, the sorceress claims that Calvin must travel to the Dark Province-a land where souls and flesh are devoured by the lawless and the spirit of man is bound in shackles. It's a reckless land dominated by morally corrupt warlords and open sexuality. Wrapped tightly in his religion, Calvin must make a life-altering decision. He can choose to follow the sorceress into the sinful abyss to save his sister, or he can accept a life of guilt and certain torment over Mari's death.