Mangus Chase has seen his fair share of trouble.Ever since that terrible night two years ago when his mother told him to run, he has been alone on the streets of Boston, surviving by his wits, staying one step ahead of the police and truant officers.

One day , Mangus learns that someone else is trying to find him- his Uncle Randolph, a man his mother warned him about. When he tries to outmaneuver his uncle, he falls into his clutches. Randolph starts rambling about Norse history and Mangus's birthright: a weapon that has been lost for a thousand years.

The more Randolph talks, the more, puzzle pieces fall into place. Stories a bout the gods of Asgard, wolves, and doomsday bubble up from his memory. But he doesn't have time to consider it all before a fire giant attacks the city, forcing him to chose between his safety and the lives of hundreds of innocents....

Sometimes, the only way to start a new life is to die.