Patrick shows up in the middle of the night at Jack Oleander’s studio apartment. Jack sells used books but runs a secret operation in the back where he makes most of his profit. Jack knows Patrick from his time working as a book thief for Patrick’s boss, Eugene. Jack takes Patrick downstairs to his bookstore to chat. The conversation becomes increasingly more aggressive. Eventually, Patrick begins to tell Jack why he is there.   Patrick explains that there is a grifter named Tobias George who used to run schemes for Eugene. Jack is familiar with Tobias but does not let on. Patrick continues. One day, Tobias robbed one of Eugene’s poker games and ran off to the swamp. No one had heard from him. Everyone thought he died in the swamp. A few months later, Eugene and Patrick catch wind that Tobias has another business in selling artifacts summoned from Hell.   Jack lies and calls it a scam. Patrick says that it is not a scam. Jack urges Patrick to explain why. Patrick will not elaborate.   Patrick explains that they want to kill Tobias and obtain the book he is using to get the objects. Since it is a book—specifically an atlas—they need the help of Jack as he knows a lot about books.   Jack declines, but eventually, the pair end up going to see Eugene at his office that same night.   Jack thinks back to how he got here from childhood. He first apprenticed with a bookbinder. Then he worked as a librarian for some time. Eventually, Eugene’s crew became involved in Jack’s affairs, leading to a confrontation with a death cult over a particular scroll. This caused Jack to leave the academy and become a book thief for Eugene for five years. They had a falling out, which lead to Jack opening his shop.   At Eugene’s bar, they meet in the office. Eugene explains that he was able to buy a bone from his dead son’s leg from Tobias. Tobias is using an atlas of Hell to obtain these objects. He wants Jack and Patrick, to find Tobias and retrieve the atlas. Jack brings up the fact that Eugene promised this was over. Eugene has Patrick physically assault Jack. Jack and Patrick leave for the mission immediately.   A boat takes them to Tobias’ shack in the swamp.  They go inside. It smells like marijuana and is mostly empty except for a door in the corner. Everyone begins to have violent and disturbing thoughts. Jack and Patrick ask for the book. Tobias says that there is no book.   A man named Johnny shows up. Patrick shoots him in the skull, but he remains conscious. Jack asks again for the atlas. Tobias yells explicative words at Jack. Jack opens the door in the back as Tobias screams for him to stop.   Inside the room is a skull. A language is seeping from the skull. Time becomes disoriented and Jack’s face blisters. Patrick rips his ear off. Tobias’ eyes are bleeding. Tobias rushes over and slams the door.   Tobias explains that that is the Atlas. They all smoke to relieve the lingering effects of the skull. Jack notices that Johnny’s head is changing shape. Jack insists they all leave. Patrick says no and that he will kill all of them. There is a bellow from the swamp.   Tobias explains that every time he summons something from Hell, it arrives via a courier. That is, a soul in Hell must ascend out of Hell to bring him whatever he requested. These things may evolve into new creatures. That is what is in the swamp and also what Johnny is.   Tobias explains that after he fled town, a friend let him stay in the cabin. The skull was in a box when he arrived. The box was reminiscent of the gear worn by people who took pilgrimages through Hell. Though this person must not have survived.

Tobias wants to summon people out of Hell and give them a second chance. Jack knows he cannot let the Atlas go back to Eugene. Patrick says the mission is still on. Tobias agrees to help.   Jack and Tobias go into the room with the skull. Jack summons someone to bring two iron boxes. A young boy covered in blood and guts arrives with the boxes. Jack tells him to put the skull in one of the boxes. After this, they exit and close the door.   Jack throws the remaining iron box at Patrick, killing him. Jack asks Jonny if he will help lead him out of the swamp. He nods. Jack shoots Tobias. He places the other iron box on his head for protection. Johnny and the child summoned from Hell lead Jack out of the swamp with the protected skull.   They all meet up with Eugene where Jack tells him that they burned the atlas and that both Patrick and Tobias are dead. Eugene believes him. Jack and the two others go back to his bookstore to begin working on the atlas.