The book begins with protagonist Rayford Steele contemplating killing Global Community Supreme Potentate and Antichrist Nicolae Carpathia.

Floyd Charles reveals that he was infected from delivering Hattie's stillborn child and goes to the hospital where Leah Rose works.

Rayford and the newest member of the Trib Force, Leah Rose, a nurse from Arthur Young Memorial Hospital in Palatine, are trying to retrieve a large quantity of cash from Leah's safe when the Sixth Trumpet Judgment hits as prophesied in Revelation 9:13-19, where a plague of death by fire, smoke, sulphur and deadly snake strikes carried out by 200 million demonic horsemen, visible only to the Tribulation saints, attack nonbelievers.

On a diplomatic trip to Sudan, the sub-potentate of the region sends assassins to blow up the Condor and kill those aboard, believing Carpathia is on too.

The Condor is replaced by the "Phoenix 216", the former plane of Pontifex Maximus Peter Mathews, head of Enigma Babylon One World Faith.

Rayford, Buck, and Leah leave for various missions 4 months later, at Gala Week: Leah to investigate in Belgium and hopefully free Hattie, Buck to witness the events of the week for his cyberzine The Truth, and Rayford supposedly to transport everyone but secretly also hoping to shoot Carpathia.

A hole in Carpathia's head is the same size that Rayford would expect his gun to make, but he was bumped from behind a split second before pulling the trigger.