The action happens in two worlds, Tom’s world and the world of the circle. After battling one of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, Tom with Philip is thrown back into their world, which starts a chain of events where Tom ends up in Brazil. He meets Conchita but someone else has followed him and the forces he’d thought had been contained were loose demanding that Tom join them with promises of unrivaled power or lose everything he values. Murder follows murder until Tom is confronted with the hoary, conduits of Apollyon. Chasing the last hoary Tom goes to Jerusalem to stop him from opening the gateway to let the evil run free in his world. Back in the circle the Spites and Visablers are close to victory having discovered the great secret and are waiting for the door to open so they can swarm and take over Tom’s world. The battle in the circle is totally one-sided and the people of the circle have nothing left only faith. There are many facets to this story, the largest of the four volumes where good and evil come face to face. The final battle takes place on the plainlands in the circle. The story is fast-moving with many new creatures brought into the frame, where Tom faces the ultimate test.