[2] Bay of Souls begins with its central character, Michael Ahearn, and his companions engaging in a hunting expedition reminiscent of James Dickey's Deliverance (1970),[3] set in the wilderness of Minnesota.

Following these events, Michael's relationship with his wife deteriorates, leading him to seek solace in the company of Lara Purcell, a political science professor.

When Lara questions Michael about his allegiance, he readily commits to joining her in embracing danger and excitement, which he perceives as lacking in his roles as a professor and a family man.

She claims she must sell her share in the Bay of Saints Hotel and oversee the spiritual transition of her deceased brother's soul from Guinee, an underwater purgatory, to a place of honor.

Additionally, Lara asserts the need to reclaim her own soul, which she believes her brother's spirit entrusted to a voodoo figure named Marinette.

Although Michael hesitates to acknowledge it, he realizes that if Lara lacks a soul, her allure may be derived from hidden forces with their own agenda, rather than the motivations she claims to have.

Upon his arrival in St. Trinity, Michael is thrust into a tumultuous environment of voodoo rituals, military conflict, CIA involvement, and illicit drug trafficking.

A small plane carrying what appears to be drugs and emeralds crashes into the ocean, partially due to Lara's involvement with the Colombian militia.

This narrative technique echoes the horror elements found in Peter Benchley's Jaws (1974) but is thematically linked to Lara's quest to retrieve her brother's soul from the ocean's depths.

Despite nearly suffocating during his ascent from the plane and losing one of the valuable packages, Michael successfully returns to the surface, only to confront the perplexed and angered Colombian militia members, puzzled by his involvement.

Despite his turmoil, Lara emerges resilient, surviving her ordeal among the Colombian militia and assuming the role of St. Trinity's ambassador to France.

The protagonist, an English professor disillusioned with literary "vitalism," becomes entangled with a captivating woman who believes she has lost her soul and seeks its retrieval through a voodoo ritual.