James Moody is restless. Finally dead after a long run of living with one foot in the grave, he and his fellow 'trespassers' have rebuilt and re-populated the surface of Root after the war with Penult. But his good friend Urszula, a half-soul with a presence in two realms, remains a prisoner in the Pennies' Judicial Temple, evading their cruel brand of 'justice' by clinging to life, walking a tightrope of optimism while the 'Friends of Penult' attempt to topple her mood by murdering all that she loves. With the help of Gaia, a 'secret' admirer from one of the more enlightened after realms, James attempts to free Urszula before her soul is lost to Avernus, an after realm from which no soul ever returns, or do they?