John is having some trouble.
His father is a preacher, but his own faith is failing. He is angry with God, angry with the church, and angry at his own weakness. He hates his job. His friends are few, and they make him angry too. His brother is funnier than him, his sister is smarter than him, his parents are more pious than him, and he is struggling to see what value his own life even has.
Maybe it's useless. Maybe nothing matters at all. Maybe his perception of reality has been false the whole time. Certainly, some strange things have started happening to him: troubling dreams and harrowing visions, flying sea turtles, deep and inescapable caves, curious people bringing him weird and threatening messages, lightning, fire, shadow. Maybe it's all really happening. Maybe it's all in his mind. Maybe there's no difference.
But when John encounters four abused and abandoned little girls and tries to save them, he will be propelled on a harrowing journey through realms unknowable. He has questions to ask of God. But will he receive any answers? Does he really want to?
