Nick had always considered his life to be relatively normal. One Sunday, however, three unexpected events force him he to radically rethink this assessment. First, a folk singer tells him that he is the embodiment of sin. Then, a verbose raven informs him that he has been chosen to save humanity from an impending cataclysmic disaster, and finally, an attractive woman named Susan seeks his assistance from malevolent shadows that are attacking her in a parking lot.

After that, things really start to get weird.

Although Nick is an unlikely (and not altogether willing) hero, when strange beings disguised as animals begin to pop up spouting apocalyptic Jungian psychology, what real choice does he have but to listen? They tell him that mankind's collective unconscious is dying, causing rifts to form between conscious reality and the shadow world. As these chasms grow, hostile animated shadows are beginning to leak into physical reality through the cracks. Unless he can seal the rifts, all of conscious human reality will be doomed.

Reluctantly, Nick embarks on a surreal journey, encountering nine different animal totems and seeking the aid of a witch, an oracle, and evasive subliminal agents. He clumsily battles against the denizens of shadow as they invade waking reality in a variety of harrowing forms. With a bit of luck, he might even figure out how to win Susan's heart along the way. But will he be able to find a way to close the rift between worlds before it's too late?