TRYAL IS SURROUNDED BY WEIRDNESS. His brother talks to spiders, his girlfriend hears voices from the future, the boy across the street walks on water, and his best friend is Death herself. He's the odd, talentless one in the group but that's okay with him because he's a coward. It's a strange (but, so far, safe) life for Tryal. Their peaceful existence comes to an end when terrifed Death begs Tryal to protect a little girl named Hood. Even worse, Death forgot to tell him about the Cinders, relentless shadow wolves with eyes of flames, pursuing the girl. Tryal and his friends flee their sleepy Nebraska town with Hood but soon make a frightening discovery: the girl is wanted by far darker forces that threaten both this world and the next. To make matters worse, a crazed duo of serial killers have now made Tryal their target of obsession. To solve the mystery that is Hood, and protect her, Tryal will have to face his fears and discover a great power hidden within himself . . . and it's the very reason Death has chosen him from the beginning.