Once a rising star in the mage ranks, John Gray lost everything when a disastrous mission allowed a powerful dark artifact to fall into the wrong hands. Wracked by shame and failure, the former hero now slinks through life as a broken alcoholic.
But when John's ex-partner turns up dead after warning of a plot to unleash the artifact's apocalyptic magic, he reluctantly agrees to take on one last mission for redemption. To succeed, John must brave a corrupting underworld and confront the demons of addiction, regret and self-doubt that have chained him for so long.
Accompanied by a feisty young spellsmith who sees more in John than he sees in himself, he follows a tangled trail of clues across a magical landscape both familiar and strange. Every step forces John to relive the traumatic mistakes that shattered his life. But with the world's fate at stake, he pushes onward, realizing the key to stopping this evil may also be the key to healing himself.
In a final confrontation against overwhelming odds, John must rediscover his courage, ingenuity and power before the forces of darkness unleash total destruction. To triumph, he must let go of the past and embrace his true destiny. For some, scars run deeper than the skin.