In the Paris of the West, antique specialist Mitchell Bernheim is haunted by life after death - his own. As San Francisco recovers from the great earthquake, Mitchell obtains a bizarre Chinese tomb guardian at auction. He quickly discovers that the artifact's suspicious origins make it highly prized by criminals and occultists, its price much greater than he had originally bargained for. Coming into contact with impossible sorcery, entangled myths of a bloodstained dynasty, formidable foes and allies, and whispers of Great Old Ones, one life may not be enough for the reluctant investigator. Each purchased breath grants opportunity to delve deeper, and face further terrors . . .