John Munin is a rational man, a gifted psychiatrist who believes that the soul and psyche are interesting only in dissection. Even relationships are ripe for analysis, and Munin has identified "six elements that are necessary for love." More susceptible to Munin's searching analysis, though, is Penelope, who suffers from obsessive-compulsive disorder and is Munin's star patient.

Munin plans to present Penelope's case at a major medical conference in Nevada. But tragedy strikes on the eve of the event, and the probing psychiatrist's orderly world crumbles in the crucible of the desert.

Set against the bizarre backdrop of Las Vegas where fate can change unalterably with the turn of a card, Munin is forced to question all of the truths he has held dear. Do events happen due to careful planning or is life just a game of chance? If God played dice with the universe, would he win?