For twenty-year-old Tom Gareth, life couldn't feel more pointless. He's working as a dishwasher at a greasy-spoon to pay tuition for a college he doesn't even want to be attending. And Lynette, the love of his life, has relegated him to the dreaded friend zone. All that changes when Tom receives a letter from his father. Pretty standard, right? Not really. His father is supposed to be dead. Half-sister he's never met? Kidnapped? Taken to the Red Lands? Find her and never stop running? It all sounds like a prank, a crazy lie, until Tom finds a compass in the envelope. It glows and screams and burns, until it eventually reveals a path to Tom's lost sister - in the Red Lands.

A place not on any map.To unlock the compass's secrets and discover the terrifying realities of his father's past, Tom embarks on a quest and crosses into a mystical and deadly world. Surviving its jade infernos and bizarre residents will take more than just blind bravery. It will mean letting go of everything he knows, dispelling his fears, and making the ultimate sacrifice. But Tom has to be willing. Is he?.