If jumping off a building to save a raccoon doesn't kill Corbin Pierce then his next altruistic impulses just might. Pierce, ex-Ivy League community college adjunct and environmental activist, has his hands full keeping the local spirit-creatures out of the hands of poachers while teaching his students about history they shouldn't repeat. As if he didn't already have enough on his plate, he and his new mentee-turned-apprentice discover the murder of a homeless man. As one murder becomes two, Corbin suspects the involvement of The Hand, a secret cabal of high magicians. It won't be his first conflict with them, but if he can't find a way to stop them, it could well be the last. Even worse, ancient spirits are waking to wreak havoc on the city as the bodies pile up. To end it all, Corbin must decide what he's willing to sacrifice. If he doesn't, the city and everyone he loves will be gone. Can Corbin take the final leap, knowing he might pay the ultimate price?