The Yellowstone Volcano was an extinction event. The Monitors wanted to be here to see it and to see how humans coped with such a tragedy.. Within three years, Ann Jacob went from a 62-year-old married retired teacher to a vampire's true love in the prime of her life, but with the wisdom of her age. Marco Antonio, the 700-year-old Monitor who lived off human blood so that he could store more neuronal tissue in his body cavity, convinces Ann that he can be monogamous when he changes one gene. He is not prepared for the emotional intensity he will experience as a result, and he must learn to deal with jealousy and rage. The Monitor's outpost at the Mariana Trench has been buried in a mudslide, and he must contend with that while dealing with the non-ethical practices of some of the other Monitors whose desire to find a cure for Marie's Disease, which is effecting the lungs of all the vertebrates on the planet.