Raised in an orphanage, plagued by a mysterious black dust coating his body, Joe is a man alone. Bad things happen all around him, so he stays away from people-to protect them and himself.

Now Sister Mary, the closest thing to a parent he's ever had, is dying. Joe races to reach her as the clock ticks down, knowing he's walking into an inevitable, painful goodbye to the woman who reared him.

He's not expecting a deathbed confession that reframes his entire life ... and the curse that has stained it.