Between 1780s Italy and 1990s San Francisco, two families vie for the truth: Are human beings meant to die, or are we meant to live forever? The Thief of Lies, born to an ancient patrilineal line of mages searching for means to immortality, sucks out the energy released when people let go of lies. But, after almost 200 years of existence enjoying the pleasures of rejuvenation, the Thief is suddenly beginning to die. Blaming an equally ancient matrilineal family, committed to protecting the sacred circle of Life and Death, he targets the last of their line, Nakita. If he can trick her into releasing her lie, he will not only win the multi-generational war, but humanity will be free of death. Or, at least, he will be.Nakita, in grief over the untimely death of her mother and the departure of her lover Celebrity, appears perfectly vulnerable. Young, educated in a post-modern and scientific age, and having rejected her inheritance, her mother's magickal traditions, Nakita struggles to build a good and happy life at a time when all meaning-making is up for grabs. When The Thief, whose very existence suggests he knows the secrets she needs, spins his web to catch her, Nakita seems to float right into it. What ensues is a delicate, violent dance in which each strives to outmaneuver the other. To save herself, Nakita must find something even more powerful than truth to beat the Thief of Lies at his own game. In the wake of the final battle, full of sex, fire, and fury, it is Celebrity, without a magical bone in her body, who offers the secret to save Nakita in the end. Will Nakita take it?