Meet Mawdy. Mawdy's one sticky fella. And the star. Of this felonious novella. He likes to steal things. Or so it seems. He's got a degree. In Kleptology. Believe you me. Mawdy's been in The Joint. Two times. And he doesn't want to make it three. That's the hat factory. Where he studiously. Studied. The Big Books. Cutting up. The Big Words. Fun. Da. Men. Tally. With Doler, the old guy. His mentoring mentor. Ever so elementarily.

Mawdy hates The Mayor. But he loves the ladies. As all is fair. With the right amount. Of "savoir-faire." He's paid his dues. With a hat that's black. And one...

GUSTAV OLIFANZ, A CONTROVERSIAL AMERICAN SILENT FILM DIRECTOR, tries to convince his studio's executives to adopt emerging sound technology in order to secure a place in cinematic history. His attempt is unsuccessful, and both his career and his life come to a premature end after the release of his last and most outrageous movie, Cultus Maximus, a film that attacks America's moral foundation.

After Olifanz's death, rumors surface about the existence of an evil group referring to themselves as the Cultus Maximus, a cult that reportedly stages deadly public displays of violence to honor this...