Japheth Mozen is your average Rattlesnake lizard anthropomorphic creature living in a desert landscape of an alternate 1920s reality. When he stumbles upon an opal on his ranch, he attempts to flee his home in search of a better life, a life where he, his mother, and younger sister can live free of his abusive father.
He arrives in a town called Hellhole, a dirty city of desperados living inside of a giant, ancient volcano called the Moloch Caldera. There he finds a sheriff, Clayton Grant, who has a district of Hellhole called the Doonies in the palm of his hand. Japheth realizes quickly that Grant will do anything to keep the town just the way he likes it: under the spur of his boot.
Along the way, Japheth meets Lanabelle, a demon from the Soyala tribe, whose only desire is to be free of Hellhole, a city holding her back. Together, they must find a way to bring the crooked sheriff down before its too late.