Checking out a clue from Simon's journal, Jeremiah and Kurdy arrive in a town named Mayfair only to find the whole population has been murdered by poisonous gas. They move to a nearby town called New Hope, where they find a whole community under a decree that forbids all physical contact. Stenn, the self-appointed leader, and his group of "elders" have turned a fear that the Big Death might return into an emotionally crippling religion that forbids all touching.

Neal and Karin are a young couple living in the town who are deeply in love, yet cannot marry or even kiss each other. A mother may not hug her child. Under Stenn's religion, neither passion nor tenderness can survive. A young man named Vernon seems to see how evil this religion is but, like the rest, he is afraid to act or even speak about it.

While Jeremiah and Kurdy probe into the secrets of New Hope, Markus faces fears of his own. Under the influence of a strange illness, he sees disturbing apparitions. Fevered and disturbed, he is unaware of the conflict developing over control of Thunder Mountain.

A child request for information about her mother worries Jeremiah. His distress increases as Vernon, despite his fear, tells what he knows about the town of Mayfield. Caught asking questions, Jeremiah is then jailed and finds his fellow prisoners, including Elayna's mother. Outside the jail, the situation explodes when Neal and Karin attempt to flee and the Elders stone Neal to death. Tricking the guards and convincing the other prisoners of Stenn's ultimate objective, Jeremiah leads a jail break and joins Kurdy in confronting Stenn. At Thunder Mountain, Markus recovers but knows he faces a difficult future.