Sheltering from an afternoon thunderstorm, Steven Nash waits to bicycle home when a mysterious woman shares grievous news: she informs Steven that he will die within a year for reasons out of his control. After struggling with his denial, the young man discovers a secret world where life’s inevitable ugliness is paramount to the existence of the woman—and those few like her. He also learns of the unintended consequences of his mere existence, testing his ethos as past events come into focus. With his foreseen death approaching, he weighs his limited options as he desperately searches for an escape. Steven must decide whom he wants to be—and whether he can become someone inconceivable, to which spares his life.

This contemporary fantasy unfolds in northern Minnesota and the Red River Valley—as well as other places—and other times. ­No­ vampires, witches, or zombies are contained within.