In the Skid Row area of downtown Los Angeles, Malachi has become the stuff of legend, his influence, for good or ill, felt by not only the men and women who sleep on the streets but by the lawyers, police officers and shopkeepers who spend their days there. No one knows who Malachi is, though some people think he may be responsible for the murder of an unidentified man. But who is Malachi and what is it about him that could have left such an indelible impression on eight people who attempt to answer these questions; and, in so doing, tell the story of a city, a city imploding under the weight of its neuroses, the neuroses of people with too many questions and not enough answers. It's a nightmare world where all enemies are invisible and all friends suspect; a world where death lurks around the corner and comes only when it's least expected. But is it death that Malachi has in store for these people? Or do their fates depend on each other?