Ramla stands about to wed Guy. She thinks back on how the two of them got engaged: How her parents got a letter from the powerful Mouette family suggesting a marriage, and how surprised that made them all. Ramlas only blood gift is an unreliable ability to sense the future, and the first time she met Guy he triggered a bad omen. Despite this, she goes through with the marriage out of a sense of duty to her family.

After a wedding night union that was disappointing for both Ramla and Guy, the latter sneaks off. Ramla finds out the reason as she encounters her husband with an incubus, a creature from Limbo feeding on the energy of willing people... in this case Guy, in the guise of a handsome if quite demonic looking man. Guy tells the story of his isolated childhood and lack of social skills in hope to gain some understanding, but gains only a lecture. Meanwhile, the incubus escapes. An annoyed Guy insults Ramla and her family, and makes her angrier by far.

Elsewhere, at the border between Limbo and the First Demonic Realm, the incubus meets with the demon Namtar to report that Guy has married a woman. Namtar response is that they'll have to speed up the plan.

The morning after, Guy makes a suggestion to his wife that they try reach an understanding, but is met with no response.

As Guy is putting off having to go to bed with his wife the evening after, the incubus appears. With little warning, he flies off with Guy.

Namtar is summoned to meet his younger brother Dahaka, ruler of the First Realm. He has found out Namtar is dallying with an incubus, and wonders why. After a beating that does not makes Namtar reveal anything, Dahaka sends him off with the warning that he's watching his older brother.

Guy and Incubus lands in the nearby city's pleasure district. The incubus shifts to the shape of a less demonic man, and they go for a drink and to rent a place. The incubus explains how he's been acting as a vessel, slowly draining Guy's power to Namtar through their bond in exchange for the gift of solid existance... but then Guy married. Here he's interupted as the prostitute Anne-Constance stops buy attempting to flirt with them. They retreat to their room.

Namtar appears, the runaway Incubus, but finds only Ramla. He abducts her to the First Realm hoping that the bond of matrinomy can have her find Guy, but she's unable to... at which point Namtar beats her unconcious. Pondering whether or not he's to rape her, he suddenly feels too much like his brother to be at ease. He leaves in a fit of anxiety. Waking up, Ramla tries to flee... but demonic scouts trace her scent, and the Hunt of the Realm is set after her. Namtar finds her first, offering to send her back in exchange for her servitude. He sends her off with a book of summoning.

Guy and the incubus are hiding out in their dingy room above a bordello. Guy has many complaints, but the incubus' uncaring attitude and his bluntness anbout not considering Guy more than a food source upsets Guy. Throwing a spell to make the incubus unable to find him, he leaves.

Ramla summons Namtar to tell him she's unable to find Guy using the opportunities she has. Namtar is angry, but relucantly tells her seek out to find a minor illusionist demon, hiding in the city under the name "Michel Fuchs" after being banished from the Realm by Dahaka. He tells her the demon's true name so that she'll be able to see his true face (the reader is not shown the name).

Ramla goes out to find Fuchs in a small apartment where he claims to live as an artist. She summons Namtar, who enlists Fuchs with the promise of freedom of movement, higher demon rank and the lack of a deadly beating. Namtar leaves, but before Ramla can do so a friend of Fuchs shows up: Anne-Constance. Even less desiring to spend time with prostitutes than demons, Ramla disappears so hastily that she forgets her handbag and hat. Anne-Constance is made privy to what's going on, and tells Fuchs about the strange pair she ran into at the bordello last night...

Guy finds out he's too socially inept to make his way around, and after a panic attack he returns to the incubus who's been waiting patiently.

Ramla confronts Guy's parents, and is told the story of how the newborn Guy was predicted to be both powerful and the end of the family line. Upset over the fact that her family was decieved Ramla threatens divorce, but the Lady Mouette informs her that she's already with child and convinces her to stay.

The incubus informs Guy the reason he's decided to hide out with Guy is because he enjoys the stability of form.

Ramla visits her parents meaning to ask for some sort of help, but a talk with her mother has her decide not to and instead she tells her mother she's pregnant. Her father arrives after a bit, with a gift for Ramla: A bicycle. She returns to the Mouette estate.

Fuchs and Anne-Constance checks out the room where Guy and incubus is staying. The incubus is out and Guy is out after a high intake of laudanum. Fuchs declares he's going to help Guy out, though Anne-Constance doesn't think he's serious. When the incubus returns Fuchs is watching from outside the window, pondering if he might actually take it seriously himself.

Namtar is unable to do a anything, being under constant supervision by other demons.