Ceit Robertson, age ten, is the next Matrarc to the Society, a cultish matriarchal group living in an inconspicuous cul-de-sac in Venice Beach. When Ceit’s mother is attacked by spirits from the old world, a failed exorcism results in Ceit’s exile into the foster-care system in Los Angeles. She eventually lands in the infamous MacLaren Hall, a very real and historically auspicious center for disturbed and abandoned children in El Monte. As Ceit grows into a force of nature, she discovers that the devil might not be what we should truly fear.A sympathetic story of the devil in Los Angeles, Diabhal explores the true nature of evil and how intention colors our definition of what wickedness truly is.