August Esch is a young man who is attractive and personable, but carries heavy demons within himself. He has firm opinions about what is right and what is wrong, but manipulates himself often to satisfy his immediate needs. Esch carries a list within his heart, a list of debits and credits regarding his dealings with people in his world, and he is constantly engineering events to make this checklist balance. It terrifies and enrages him, and as a result, Esch stumbles through life like a sleepwalker.