Victor Renquist, centuries-old Master of a small group of Nosferatu, is working to establish the Colony in their new home, after leaving New York just one step ahead of exposure. In many ways, life in Los Angeles is easier -- the city is full of enough lost souls, with no one to mourn them or question their disappearance, that the awesomely powerful Nosferatu experience no difficulty sating their need for fresh human blood. They have become a deeper, darker part of the city's nightlife.

And Hollywood's glitterati are hot on the scent of a new thrill, one that outshines all others -- immortality. Never to die. Even though it means joining the ranks of the Undead, some -- especially one aging superstar who fears the waning of his popularity -- are ready and willing to pay the price.

Renquist is faced with a dilemma. For the Colony to remain viable, it must grow. He knows this, the other members know this, and each seeks to control the choosing of the new blood. But every new member brought through the rituals into the ancient compact of blood and terror poses a new problem of politics, of group dynamics, of power. As Master, Renquist must walk a tightrope -- balancing the conflicting desires of the members and himself while still remaining in control.

And Renquist is uneasy. Ancient instincts warn him that someone, somewhere, is meddling with even darker powers, powers that even the Nosferatu fear, powers that are totally inimical to all life. The Council of Nine, governing board of the Apogee, a highly successful quasi-religious cult, is attempting to summon the entity of ancient evil knows as Cthulhu -- a being that figures all to frequently in Renquist's dreams. He must find a way to stop them and also to solve the problem of the Darklost, a human brought part-way along the road to becoming Nosferatu and then cruelly abandoned.

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