Born of the smokeless flame in the wilderness of prehistoric Arabia, a djinni comes into being. A creature of pure energy, he takes the form of a green-tinged blue flame that feeds off the life forces of human kind, taking pleasure in death and terror. A chance encounter with a shepherd on a mountain alters the course of his existence. The man mistakes him for a god and offers up an act of worship. Amused, Djinn maintains the deception and the god al-Ilah is born.

Over hundreds of years, he bends the tribes of Arabia to his will until another man and another god oust him from his place of pre-eminence. Cast back into the role of demon, Djinn wanders the Islamic world, from Spain to India and beyond, bringing death and despair to those whose lives he touches. Then he encounters a Raksha demon in India and finds himself fighting for survival against the gods themselves.