The year is 64 A.D. -- though now A.D. stands for Anno Daemonii.Demons have crossed a gate into our world, taking the reins of powerfrom humanity. A new Inquisition has begun, determined to root out anywho stand against the new world order. The holy sites on earth havebeen destroyed -- Jerasulem first, then the Vatican, then Mecca -- andwhat resistance remains is ruthlessly crushed. Amaranth is a fighterin the resistance cell based in London. Dham is a Ringer, one of thefew people left able to ring the remaining sets of blessed hand bellsthat have power over demons. When Amaranth discovers that her bestfriend has been possessed by a demon and is going to be used in theResistance's final, desperate mission, she asks Dham for his help insaving her friend. With the Inquisition closing in and betrayalthreatening from inside the Resistance itself, Amaranth, Dham, and thedemon -- along with Catriona, a new, highly-skilled, highly-blondebell-ringer -- decide to head to Rome and the ruins of Vatican City,hoping to find a way to stem the tide of demonic possessions and closethe gate.