This is your baptism of fire, Max Lee... Fireman Max Lee makes a chilling discovery in the dark recesses of the sewers below the streets of Old Castle during routine maintenance. He tries to forget the unsettling encounter, but Max finds it hard to shake off the haunting image of the individual he would come to know as Ash Man. Not long after setting eyes on the strange vagrant living in the myriad of passageways, Max's life changes forever when he is called to a blazing house fire...his house, a harbinger of tragedy. Stoking the flames of revenge, Max descends once more into the depths of the underground, drawn into a cryptic alliance with the enigmatic Ash Man. And we all burn in this trial by fire. (synopsis in revision)