The main character is Tarquin "Quinn" Blackwood, a child of the Blackwood clan, which is a powerful and old family in New Orleans. Tarquin is haunted by a mysterious spirit named Goblin, who is attached to him spiritually. He realizes that he is unable to defeat this creature alone. Risking his life, Quinn embarks upon a quest to enlist the aid of the vampire Lestat de Lioncourt. Lestat, after a fashion, agrees to help Quinn.
The novel develops as Tarquin recounts tales of his growing up, his youth, his family, and even his forced conversion and acceptance of the Dark Gift by the hermaphrodite Petronia. His stories allow Lestat to better understand the reach and power of Goblin, who continues to haunt Tarquin. Lestat also discovers that Tarquin is connected to the Mayfair clan of witches, which also makes New Orleans its home. This information, combined with his failure to defeat Goblin, forces Lestat to request aid from Merrick. Merrick, a powerful Mayfair witch-turned-vampire, agrees to help.
It is revealed that the now-bloodthirsty Goblin, who looks exactly like Tarquin, is in fact a baby boy's spirit — the spirit of Tarquin's twin brother, who died only days after being born. The child did not leave this world; he is bound to Tarquin and is relentlessly jealous to experience what Tarquin does.
Merrick fashions a ritual, using the corpse of the dead twin, to exorcise Goblin. During the ceremony, Merrick joins herself with the flame and the corpse. She carries her spirit and that of the child to the Light and perishes. Lestat is bereft of Merrick, whom he adored; but he now has Quinn, a new vampire to cherish.
Italiano
Tarquin Blackwood è un vampiro ventenne che ha sempre vissuto affiancato da uno spirito, Goblin. Quando gli viene dato il Dono Tenebroso da Petronia, Goblin comincia a nutrirsi del suo sangue, così temendo che potesse diventare troppo pericoloso e che tale dieta potesse generare una nuova generazione di vampiri, chiede aiuto a Lestat. Quinn gli racconta tutta la sua vita, da quando ha conosciuto Goblin a quando è morta Lynelle, la sua amata maestra. Da quando conosce Mona Mayfair, il suo grande amore, a quando seduce Jasmine. Da quando scopre di avere un figlio a quando cominciano a morire i suoi familiari, lasciandogli tutto, diventando ultimo erede dei Blackwood.
Lestat chiede aiuto a Merrick Mayfair, diventata vampiro grazie a Louis de Pointe du Lac.
Merrick riesce ad esorcizzare Goblin (anche se il gesto le costa la vita), prima però scoprendo un segreto di cui era all'oscuro anche Quinn. Il libro si conclude con l'unione di Quinn e Mona per l'eternità.