The book is a nominee for the World Fantasy Award and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award, and takes the reader to the mystical reverse side of California. The main character, Howard Barton, travels to Mendocino in search of a paper origami that once belonged to the legendary Japanese artist Hokusai. But he discovers he isn’t the only one looking for this sketch. Strange and dangerous adventures await him, tied to secret societies and mysterious manifestations of evil. In another town, three friends encounter mysterious events connected to the struggle between light and darkness.