The illegal use of narcotic drugs, psychotropic substances, and their analogues harms health. Their illegal distribution is prohibited and entails responsibility under the law.
Former police officer Charlie Garner sets out to find his missing ex-wife Meg, who, shortly before disappearing, started working at a local donut shop. The establishment is under the control of a mysterious sect called “People of Plates,” which is convinced that their little town is about to become the landing site for an alien fleet. From the outside it looks like harmless eccentricity, but Charlie feels that dangerous something hides behind the odd rituals.
People believe Meg and her new husband simply ran away from debts, but Charlie doesn’t accept that version. Together with his brother Felix, who works as a detective, and a young charming journalist, he begins his own investigation—and step by step uncovers the dark secrets of a quiet Texas town. Along the way, weapons stockpiles surface, suspicious “ceremonies” by the sect members appear, and even a pet chimpanzee killer—until it becomes clear that this is only the beginning, and the truth is far worse.
Copyright Alexander Kryshan, translation, 2026. AST Publishing House, 2026.