Haley, suicidal after Willi's death, joins a CIA mission, then finds her alive in the hands of slavers. As both face death, his alter ego returns to kill her captors. Then past events intrude. Valen, a Gnostic, forges a letter in Jesus' name, then Cesare Borgia adapts it. Centuries later, the letter involves John McCone, J. Edgar Hoover, four U.S. Presidents, Judy Garland, and Haley's CIA mentor, George Durell. In 2000, Pope John Paul II receives the letter, then asks the U.S. for help. But The Order Of The Gnostic Cross, Church Of Triantology, and Raven H2O have their own plans, as does female spy Jasus al-Mara, who enlists the aid of al-Qaeda terrorist Karbala. Meanwhile, the shadowy Cluster pulls everyone's strings, the unknown Termagant plots to destroy TGC, and a monster carves TINPLUFORPLE on the torsos of little girls. When a letter from George Durell surfaces, Haley and Willi again face violent foes, but this time they have help-serial killers Maxine Kordell and Mena Harling.