Gotham is on the brink of its own destruction. The Angel of Death has been handed over to the secretive and powerful Court of Owls. The hourglass is running low for both the city and Batman as the toxins spreading through his veins thanks to his fight with the Scarecrow, have begun taking a destructive and violent turn for the worse, turning his hand and rage toward his allies--yet those aren't the end of Bruce's problems. Something far worse, another shadow more terrifying and reaches deeper than his emotional attachment to Eli, has risen from the grave and promises to shatter the very meaning and usefulness of Batman's existence.