For as long as he can remember, Jack Murphy has been tormented by nightmares of death--his own death in past lives. Scenes may change but his end is always the same: murdered without warning or reason by a stranger he can't identify. Jack goes through the motions of life, forever waiting for death, and as a result he'd little more than a shell of a man, preternaturally aware that he'll die, quickly and violently, and soon. But, even then, he won't move on to a place beyond awareness. Instead, he'll be born again into the world with a new face, new name but always the same end. Jack's only friend is Carl Langum, an old man he realizes is more than he appears to be. When Jack's death is certain, Carl appears out of nowhere and saves him. The two flee to Carl's encampment, where Jack discovers their meeting in this life was far from an accident. Carl holds knowledge of truths lost to the rest of mankind. Chief among them is the Land's Energy, a way of communicating with the Earth and tapping into Her power. Realizing Jack's killer will return to finish what was started, Carl desperately opens a gateway through time, transporting them all the way back to where this vicious circle started...