
At the end of The Darkest Surrender, Strider cut off Lazarus' head, which freed him from Juliette, and now he is "living" in his spirit-kingdom. Then, Hera turned Lazarus over to the Harpy, Juliette the Eradicator, who also enslaved him. Lazarus is the son of the Monster, Typhon, who kidnapped his mother, Echidna (a Gorgon), and raped her repeatedly until he was captured and carried away by Hera, who also killed Echidna and enslaved Lazarus. Whenever Cameo is on the verge of a joyful moment, Misery immediately takes charge and sweeps her with a wave of anguish and sorrow that also engulfs any bystanders. Misery can also wipe Cameo's memories, and he does this selectively so that she is miserable most of the time.

Cameo is possessed by the demon Misery, who has the ability to use Cameo's voice to subsume people with overwhelming despair. This novel features the resolution of Lazarus and Cameo's love story, which began in The Darkest Craving and continued in The Darkest Touch when they met in Lazarus' spirit realm.
