Adrift in a raft after a deadly ship explosion, nine people struggle for survival at sea. Three days pass. Short on water, food and hope, they spot a man floating in the waves and pull him in. The man, strange and quiet, claims to be the Lord. Is the man who he claims to be? What actually caused the explosion? Are the survivors already in heaven, or are they in hell? Years later, when the empty life raft washes up on the island of Montserrat-- the events recounted in a notebook-- it falls to the island's chief inspector to solve the mystery of what really happened. -- adapted from jacket

Professor David Shepherd is the keeper of knowledge that holds the world in a delicate balance. He knows who is in the Book of Names, an ancient text that contains the identities of each generation's 36 righteous souls - the Hidden Ones. Legend holds that if all 36 Hidden Ones are eliminated, the world will be destroyed.As the Hidden Ones start dying, the world grows increasingly unstable - massive floods in New York, brutal terrorist attacks in Melbourne - and David finds himself battling against the secret religious sect the Gnoseos. His involvement turns personal when he discovers one of the names is that of his stepdaughter... Now David races to decipher the traditions of the Kabbalah to save the remaining righteous souls, his daughter... and the world.