The Book of Doors

Cassie goes home to the apartment she shares with her best friend Izzy. They met when Izzy was also working at the bookshop, though she’s since moved into selling fine jewelry. Cassie tells Izzy about Mr. Webber and shows her the mysterious book. They begin playing the “favourite game,” in which they talk about their favorite things. Cassie shares her favorite memory of traveling to Venice. Soon, Cassie gets up; when she opens the door to her room, she finds herself faced with a Venetian street.

Cassie calls Izzy over to confirm the vision. Although Cassie is ecstatic, Izzy is cautious. They take a video on their phones of the street, then close the door. Cassie determines the miracle was made possible by the Book of Doors. The two of them prepare to explore the book’s potential.

Cassie and Izzy use the Book of Doors to travel to their favorite bar, a rooftop above a hotel. After a momentary setback, they emerge onto the terrace and dance together in the snow. They consider all the things they’ll be able to do with the book. Izzy then voices some of the toxic things it could be used for if it fell into the wrong hands. Cassie becomes defensive. They continue using the book to travel the city, visiting their favorite places. Later, Cassie opens the book to find Mr. Webber’s inscription has disappeared. She considers Izzy’s concerns but discards them in her excitement.

Drummond Fox approaches Washington Square Park, a place where several of his friends died many years ago. He realizes that his old nemesis Hugo Barbary is there too. Hugo tells him that he’s come for Drummond’s books and that there are people looking for his family’s library. They allude to a woman who’s hunting down book owners. Drummond prepares to use the Book of Shadows, which he has concealed in his pocket. As Hugo begins to attack, Drummond uses his book to disappear into shadows. Once he escapes, Drummond goes to the terrace of his hotel and sees Cassie and Izzy use the Book of Doors.

Elsewhere, Hjaelmer Lund and his employer Azaki visit an aging book collector hoping to find a rare magical book. They were unable to find what a customer wanted, and the old woman is devastated by the news. To comfort her, Azaki offers to recreate her lost family home. They go to an empty beach, and Azaki uses the Book of Illusion to bring her home to life. Later, Lund considers how the two men crossed paths: He rescued Azaki from a beating in a bar and was offered a job as his bodyguard. Lund was intrigued by the way Azaki used magic to win at cards and accepted. At their hotel, Azaki announces they’ll be going to New York. To entertain them, Azaki creates illusions in their hotel room.

Cassie investigates the origins of the book. She travels to Mr. Webber’s apartment, exploring his books and possessions. She sees a wardrobe filled with another woman’s clothes but learns nothing useful about the book. At the bookshop, Cassie remembers how she was a regular customer before getting hired. She asks her boss, Mrs. Kellner, about Mr. Webber. Mrs. Kellner recalls that Mr. Webber once went home with a woman but doesn’t know anything else about him. Later, Izzy stops by the bookshop and tells Cassie that she tried Googling the Book of Doors but learned nothing. She continues to discourage Cassie from using the book.

In New Orleans, a woman known as the Bookseller receives news that the Book of Doors has emerged. She phones Azaki and asks him to retrieve it for her. She also asks him to place Izzy under his protection. Elsewhere, Drummond is intrigued by the women he saw using the Book of Doors and vows to find them. Before leaving, he considers his magical books: the Book of Memory, the Book of Luck, and the Book of Shadows. Drummond walks until he sees the women again but loses them after they disappear through a door. Unbeknownst to Drummond, Hugo Barbary is following him. Across the world in London, a woman named Marion prepares to meet her estranged sister for lunch. Instead of her sister, she is approached by an ominous figure called the Woman. The Woman admits to killing Marion’s sister. Realizing that she’s going to die, Marion taunts the Woman by telling her she’ll never be able to find Drummond Fox or his library. After killing Marion, the Woman walks through the city and sees a happy mother and daughter. She uses the Book of Despair to fill the child with unhappiness.

Cassie considers the moral questions surrounding her magic book and thinks about a conversation she had years ago with her grandfather before he died. Her grandfather desperately wanted to travel, but he never got the chance as he was busy caring for Cassie. That night, Cassie uses the book to journey all over Europe, revisiting beloved places from her past travels. She goes to Venice, Prague, and Paris, enjoying her newfound freedom.

The next day, Cassie prepares to experiment further and attempts to visit a place she’s never been to before. She visits Egypt, using a door from a postcard as a guide. Encouraged by her success, she finds pictures of doors from all over the world and visits numerous cities and countries. Later, Izzy again raises her concerns over the silent cost of magic. Cassie convinces Izzy to come traveling with her, and she shares the story of how her grandfather died of cancer before he could fulfill his dream of seeing the world. He raised Cassie on his own and didn’t have time for anything else. They return to New York and visit a deli, where they encounter Drummond. He warns them that they’re in danger.

Cassie and Izzy assess the newcomer. Drummond tells them about the magical books that exist throughout the world and invites them to go somewhere private to talk. To earn their trust, Drummond shows them his own magical books. Suddenly, Hugo Barbary arrives and threatens them. He kills a waiter who brushes past him, then closes the deli to accost the group. Drummond encourages Cassie to use her book to escape.

The Woman arrives home, grateful for the solitude. Her home is a cabin in the middle of a forest where she doesn’t have to be around anyone. She briefly thinks about the little girl she used to be. She goes to her basement and replaces her books in a safe where she keeps her growing collection. She continues her search for news of more books, vowing to find Drummond Fox. Later, she thinks about how she killed her parents and buried them on her land, along with seventeen other victims. She uses the Book of Destruction to kill every living thing in her near vicinity, reveling in their pain.