Ulysses Lenkov is on the verge of finishing his PhD when his ex-girlfriend shows up with a problem. It's been six months since the murder of her husband, Hugh, and Livia is plagued by strange noises in the night, poor sleep, and a magic book that may be cursed. The more Ulysses delves into the events that led her back to Madison, the more concerned he becomes. Ulysses's boyfriend Sam Sterling, jealous and unhappy about Livia's return, suspects that she may not be telling them the whole truth. In the meantime, he's starting to worry that he may not have left Dionysus as far behind as he thought-with odd effects for him and Ulysses. When Ulysses's academic advisor suggests their relationship is a problem, magically speaking, he's suddenly forced to make decisions he never wanted to face: break up with Ulysses to keep him safe, or stay together despite the risks. As Ulysses's defense bears down on them, the questions start to stack up. What really happened to Hugh? Does his death tie in to secrets from deep in Sam's family's past? And will Ulysses be able to figure it all out before he winds up a victim?