Benji Watson, Janis Mayfair, and Edward Menzies—three people living very different lives—stumble upon a river stone that interconnects their lives through a web of horrors woven by the essence of their town. What began as a Halloween party of the ages devolved into a race to discover the meaning behind Lauradelle's surreal pitting of Janis Mayfair's unnatural obsession with teenage Benji's balefire—a mystical fire she sees burning within him each time she closes her eyes. Benji, cautiously observing the brute chauvinistic rage forcing Edward into fits of uncontrolled barbarism, tries desperately to evade both Janis and Edward while retaining what's left of his sanity. The city of Lauradelle responds. Days turn to night in a blink of an eye. Craters split the pristine streets, swallowing entire blocks as the living town plucks the threads binding these three together. Can Benji, Janis, or Edward unravel the mysteries plaguing the town of Lauradelle? And what does any of it have to do with the river stone?