Synopsis
The novel begins with a prologue. A young girl awaits her abusive father, only to be rescued by a boy with auburn hair, freckles, pointy ears, and golden eyes. He comforts the girl, telling her of a place where there are no grown-ups and lots of adventure. The girl goes with him.
The novel follows several characters in their adventures through Avalon, an enchanted isle in its final death throes. Brom makes liberal use of Celtic and Scottish mythology as, in a parallel storyline, he describes Peter's history from birth to Lord of Deviltree.
In the modern day, a child named Nick flees his home with a bag full of methamphetamine. A gang of drug dealers has taken over his home, abusing him while his mother and grandmother are powerless to do anything. His first night on the run he is pursued by the gang members and runs into Peter. Peter displays superhuman speed and strength, driving the gang members off. He tells Nick about Avalon and convinces him to come there. Nick makes it through the mist to Avalon, joining up with the other children Peter has taken there over the years (many of whom have not aged a day since arriving in Avalon).
Peter's clan of human children is the final force between the Flesh Eaters and The Lady. The Lady's magic keeps Avalon alive and the Mist up to keep out unwanted humans while, unfortunately, keeping the Flesh Eaters in. The Lady is trapped within the heart of Avalon, a prisoner in her own land by her nephew and Avalon's heir apparent, Lord Ulfger (who shares the same father as Peter).
The children at Deviltree are also affected by the magic of Avalon. However, being children, they were not twisted into malicious scaly creatures. Instead they grew strong, fast, and amazingly powerful while their eyes changed color to match their leader's eyes. They were honed into warriors, fighting alongside Peter to save Avalon and The Lady and rid the land of the Flesh Eaters. Their predecessors were revealed to be pagan and druid children fleeing from enslavement, persecution and execution by knights working on behalf of the church.
Peter spends his time searching for new children to take back to Avalon. Always searching in the poorest neighborhoods, Peter only takes those children that are abused, forgotten, or, his personal favorite, runaways. Many children die in the Mist. Many more die fighting for their lives in Avalon, and Peter must go out seeking new blood candidates for Deviltree.
Ulfgar, out of jealousy, leads the children of Deviltree into an ambush where many of them are killed and many more are captured by the Flesh Eaters (he then brainwashes one new recruit, self-serving Leroy to murder and further betray for him). The Flesh Eaters during this time are revealed to be a group of English Puritans who sailed to Avalon accidentally while en route to North America. They want to go home and believe that killing the Lady is their only way to do so. In reality she could dispel the mists and allow them to leave, but neither side trusts the other enough to try and communicate.
After being tortured, (during which one Devil, feral child Redbone due to his sustained injuries doesn't survive the process) some of the devils lead the Flesh Eaters to the Lady's hiding place and they kidnap her (on discovering Leroy's treachery Peter executes him as Leroy shows his true colors and cowardly tries to shift blame from himself). Avalon dissolves around them and everyone is swept to New York City. The Flesh Eaters are startled by their surroundings, some even believing themselves to have entered Heaven, and cause a panic among anyone who sees them, which leads them to kill several police officers who come to investigate them.
The Flesh Eaters go to Central Park to execute the Lady, only for Peter and the remaining devils to attack in a desperate rescue attempt. During the battle, Ulfgar reappears and, having absorbed some of Avalon's remaining magic, has turned into some sort of monster. The Flesh Eaters and devils briefly join forces to defeat him during which almost all of them are slain by him. Ulfgar is killed and the Lady restores Avalon. Nick is mortally wounded during the battle and with his last breaths makes Peter swear to kill the gang living in his old house.
The remaining devils, now only one or two who are left out of the well over three dozen before, head back to rebuild Avalon while Peter heads off to fulfill his promise.
