Fauna Hodel, a naïve girl growing up in mid-sixties Reno, Nevada, embarks on a quest to discover who she really is. In LA, Jay Singletary, a former Marine turned hack reporter covers a gruesome murder.

Fauna attempts to track down her family, including her mysterious grandfather, George Hodel. Jay continues his pursuit of the Bloody Romeo, but he can't let go of the story that ruined his career; a story that involved George Hodel.

Fauna meets up with Corinna but suspects the woman of lies and hiding her real mother, Tamar. Jay meanwhile gets a harsh visit from the LAPD but this leaves him wondering how close he's getting to the truth.

As Jay edges closer to the truth, he begins to realise the MO for the case he's looking at has more than a passing resemblance to the Black Dahlia murder. Fauna receives a mysterious invitation to a “Happening” and, hoping for further information about her mother Tamar, heads to it.

When Fauna hears what happened to Jimmy Lee, she frantically searches for a way home. As Watts explodes around her into chaotic riots, Fauna’s way out harbors a nightmarish trap. Jay stews in a cell that overflows with rioters, his options diminishing as the hours pass, until he hatches a desperate plan.