Summary

The novel begins with a first person narration by a character named David Palmer. Palmer is backpacking the area around Desolation Mountain at night and debates whether or not he should stop and make camp for the night. He decides to keep going and treks into an increasingly desolate wilderness. While hiking he begins to smell an unusual, musky scent that he cannot place. The second time Palmer notices the smell, an animalistic snarl accompanies it and he begins to run for his life. After tripping on a root, David Palmer falls to the ground as the stench washes over him and he experiences pain that he has never felt before. Eventually, he sinks into oblivion and passes on.

Chapter Two begins with a subheading that lets the readers know that three months have passed since David Palmer was killed. The first person...