After he and four of his friends take a whirlwind tour of the world in search of near mythical tomes of magic, He spends a year learning from them as his friend, Daniel Marlowe, makes multiple fake copies to lead any away from the real ones. Daniel keeps the real tomes and sends the fakes with his four friends as they scatter to the four winds.

After leaving the company of his friends, Matthias Luckner jouneys the Nuevo Mexico to seek his fortune. When he is given the mysterious "Three Corners" Canyon which contains a rich gold and silver mine by an Apache cheif, he begins to build. What results is the mining town of Three Corners and the Three Corners settlement....and the prediction of how it all will end. What follows is a race to do as much as possible in very little time.

Following behind him, lurking in the shadows, is the mysterious man known as Faustus Mephistopheles. Faustus, an ageless criminal with a colorful past, wants the tomes and believes that Matthias has them. What ensues is a terrifying ride through the surreal and grotesque.