Myths of spirits and wraiths roaming a world just beyond our mortal perceptions have haunted mankind since the dawn of history. Against common sense and sane reasoning, Jordan attempts an expedition into just such a world in pursuit of his fiancée who lies senseless in an inexplicable coma. Her professor has discovered a sixth-century manuscript describing such a journey, and wielding an ancient Latin palindrome, he launches Jordan on an expedition stranger than he could have imagined. The Overlay is populated by souls both familiar and legendary, and one in particular who has determined that Jordan represents a challenge to his domain and must be destroyed. Worse, Jordan realizes that the professor was weak on his instructions for returning.