For some, like Missy and Hank, "the bond" is an extraordinary passage from innocence to extreme passion—a need for sensual freedom and an ability to read the minds of the lovers they ensnare and use. For the Preacher, the bond is a curse, responsible for a broken heart that will never heal and can only demand vengeance. As Missy and Hank flee the Preacher from California to New Orleans like a modern day Bonnie and Clyde, their escape is fueled by the hunt, seduction, and domination of their lovers—the way of the bonded.