Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, is, as usual, not getting much of the quiet life. A large building in downtown Chicago has been blown up by some amazingly strong magical force, causing the police to call him in on an ad-hoc basis, but more fundamentally, he's being attacked – by creatures that look remarkably like the billy goats gruff? And, as usual, several people (okay, not all of them could be classified as people) want things from him – his cooperation, for example, or his life. Not much of a choice, really.