The novel is set in the summer of 1998 in New York City. Beneath the surface of the city, gangs of vampires have been living, preying on the dregs of society—the homeless, destitute, prostitutes—no one cares about. A crew of thieves robs vampire families robs vampire gangs of their money and blood, playing the vampires off against one another.

A job goes wrong and they mess with a vampire they never should have, the Albanian Kreshnik, who serves the dark Lord Rainford. Rainford's minions seek out and destroy Frank's crew one by one.

Boone is the youngest and brashest of the humans. He's a racist, a drug addict, given to violence and can't shoot to save his life. Boone evidences supernatural attributes, such as the ability to heal rapidly from seemingly devastating injuries. He's also occasionally shadowed by a spector he refers to as Stan that only he can see. Boone feels an attraction to Emanuela, a witch-like character who hunts vampires and other creatures like them with "the Sisterhood."

The novel culminates in Boone's confrontation against Rainford's army in an decrepit warehouse.