From the authors of the New York Times bestselling novel Welcome to Night Vale & the 1 podcast of the same name comes a mystery exploring the intersections of faith & science the growing relationship between two young people who want desperately to trust each other & the terrifying toothy power of the Smiling God Nilanjana Sikdar is an outsider to the town of Night Vale Working for Carlos the town's top scientist she relies on fact & logic as her guiding principles But all of that is put into question when Carlos gives her a special assignment investigating a mysterious rumbling in the desert wasteland outside of town This investigation leads her to the Joyous Congregation of the Smiling God & to Darryl one of its most committed members Caught between her beliefs in the ultimate power of science & her growing attraction to Darryl she begins to suspect the Congregation is planning a ritual that could threaten the lives of everyone in town Nilanjana & Darryl must search for common ground between their very different world views as they are faced with the Congregation's darkest & most terrible secret