THE DOORWAY TO NIGHT ... When colonial France reached out to enslave Indochina in a possessive embrace, she calmed the native population with the addictive, subjugating kiss of opium. Now the ruthless warlords of the region, desperate to retain control, search for a trio of weapons - the Prey Dauw - that have become a Theravadan Buddhist symbol so awesome, so imbued with mythic power, that whole populations bow to the will of whoever possesses them. The last piece of Prey Dauw - a dagger - is believed to be held by an American, Terry Haye. His murder in the South of France is the first in a series of bloody assassinations that lures many new players into an already deadly game. As the Prey Dauw exudes a drug-like potency, alluring, fascinating and seductive, each contender for power must acknowledge his sins and their implications - for no sin can go forever unpunished, forever unredeemed ...