Despite his brilliance, Paul Skoglund hasn't held a steady job for years, partly because of his Tourette's syndrome, a neurological disorder that forces his body into wild swings and to blurt out words that are hilariously, often tragically inappropriate. When his eccentric wealthy aunt asks him to take on the repairs of her magnificent nineteenth century hunting lodge, he is in no position to refuse. But inside the lodge lies a sense of almost superhuman destruction: a violence now mirrored by a series of disappearances and deaths haunting the region. As Paul delves into the wreckage, he can't help but wonder what dark passion - and what strength could cause such chaos.
Janet, his icy ex-wife, plans to use his condition to wrest away custody of their young son. And in his otherwise uncertain world, Paul is sure of one thing: nothing and no one is going to come between him and Mark. But quickening events lead him deeper into his family's past, and as Paul faces the darker aspects of his own nature, he must brave the possibility that in saving those he loves, he might well destroy himself...