Bathed in sweat, Magnus Lorenzi awakes after a frightening dream: He has seen people die of toxic fumes. The danger comes from space, a mysterious fog. On the same morning, Lorenzi learns of the unexpected death of a dear friend. But there is no corpse. Cryptic hints about his whereabouts lead him and Carla Rubinetti with a friend to Italy. There, they meet so-called humanists whose deeds are only loosely aligned to humanist ideals. They are introduced to the “secrets of the moon” and the “principle of reversal”, receive revealing insights about the just elected Pope, prostrating himself the Lamb of God, and the power of paganism within the Church. Finally, they end up in the U.S.A. where the Vatican turns its eye towards the universe on the sacred mountain of the Apaches with the most up-to-date telescope technology has to offer – not just to study the world of stars. Suddenly darkness falls on Earth. Could this be a global power cut or are there other powers at play?