Melvin "the Troll" Horgan-lead singer and lyricist of the grunge band Billy Goat's Gruff; self-loathing, angry little gargoyle, and a spiritually and literally impotent loser; a musician devoid of talent and artistry-finally gets his big break after one fleeting burst of creativity while squatting in the bathroom of a Popeye's restaurant just outside of Washington, D.C. Knowing his career is in freefall, Melvin desperately wrenches together a song for his next album-his last shot at success-based on a newspaper story about a stripper's untimely death. If the album flops, it could be back on the streets again. Curiously, the song, "Millicent DeGroenfeld Rice," catapults Melvin and his band into fame-not due to its quality, but because of a chilling phenomenon: during each live performance of this song, a random audience member dies.

The growing fascination with the victims and the real-life story of Millicent DeGroenfeld Rice draws Melvin, an FBI agent, and a corporate lawyer into separate quests to either seek, reject, or ignore the truth behind the song's deadly effect. How can one song born of desperation kill a member of the audience every time it's played live? Is it just a bizarre coincidence, or is something more sinister at play?