Misty's art work at the local hotel where a fire is started by Misty's daughter, who is revealed to be alive after a previous point in the book when she was thought to have drowned, and all the hotel's occupants are burned to death due to their being mesmerized by her painting. The result is a huge insurance claim which leaves the remaining island citizens wealthy enough to support their luxurious lifestyles for the next four generations, at which point a new young artist will be found to repeat the cycle. Peter attempted to warn her of this plot using his hidden writing, and it is revealed that his suicide attempt was in fact a murder attempt. It is never revealed whether Peter recovered from his coma, but from Misty's descriptions of his state of health, he more than likely died. Characters The names of the main characters are taken from fans' names selected at random in an official contest held by "The Cult" on the ChuckPalaniuk.net website prior to publication. Misty Marie Wilmot The protagonist. Her maiden name is Kleinman. Misty was raised in a trailer park in Tecumseh Lake, Georgia by her hippie mother. She is an aspiring artist and attends art school where she eventually meets and begins going out with Peter Wilmot. Peter does everything in his power to get her pregnant, and they eventually go live with his family on Waytansea Island after his father, Harrow Wilmot, dies. Misty puts off her artistic aspirations to raise Tabitha. Misty eventually discovers that she is the reincarnation of past artists, including Maura Kincaid and Constance Burton. Peter Wilmot After moving back to Waytansea Island, Peter takes up the job of contractor. He is found in the family car by Misty, supposedly having attempted suicide. It eventually turns out that he was the victim of attempted murder by his own father, whom Misty had thought was dead and who was trying to stop him from spoiling the islanders' plan to use Misty's artwork to get rich. The murder attempt was a failure, and Peter now lies comatose in a hospital bed. Tabitha Wilmot Referred to throughout most of the book as Tabbi, Tabitha is the daughter of Misty and Peter. She plays the part of a loving child throughout most of the story, eventually faking her death so as to cause her mother emotional pain which would help