The halfway point of the Beachouse Studios saga sees Dan and Ry up against a dangerous new enemy in a battle for their lives - and their souls.

Ry Thompson is in the doghouse.

In the wake of Chicago, Ry is more distrusted by Dan Sebring than ever before. Concerned that Ry has become a liability to his mysterious goals, Dan refuses to allow Ry to help deal with the fallout. As Dan makes moves that Ry believes endanger him, Ry turns to a new source of help - a charming, enigmatic man calling himself "Samael." Delighted to help, Samael asks only for Ry's time in return.

Dan is pulled in a million directions, plagued by own doubts about his mission and his complicated home life even as his studio teeters on the verge of crisis. Tim's engagement challenges everything he believes about himself. Emily forms a strange new alliance to pursue her investigation. With everyone distracted and with no one to turn to for help, Ry finds himself lured deeper and deeper down Samael's twisted path. When Samael slowly begins to reveal darker and more demented intentions, Ry finds himself more isolated than ever before.

The end of Samael's path is Ry's baptism by blood. If Ry and Dan want to stop it, they need to face hard truths about each other - and themselves.