Vampire prince Darren Shan, working with old friends to solve the mystery of a series of murders, finds himself pursued by the purple-skinned vampaneze, the police, and an angry mob after he is framed for the killings.
Betrayed by Kurda and reeling from the brutal slaying of Gavner, the vampire's assistant, Darren Shan, finds himself branded a traitor and hunted by the vampire clan.
Darren begins the Trials of Initiation to prove himself worthy of being a half-vampire, even as the clan's blood foes, the vampaneze, gather near Vampire Mountain.
As Darren faces the final showdown with his archenemy, Steve Leopard, he seeks a way to trick destiny and avoid the requirement that one of them die and the other become Lord of the Shadows, fated to destroy the world.