City of the Plague God: Complete Book Guide and Analysis

Name: City of the Plague God
Author: Sarwat Chadda

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Quick Facts

Genre: Urban fantasy, Middle-grade mythology, Adventure
Setting: Present-day Manhattan, New York City; the underworld Kurnugi; Central Park
Narrator: Third-person limited, following Sikander Aziz
Publication Year: 2021

Short Summary

Thirteen-year-old Sikander Aziz works at his family’s deli in Manhattan, still grieving his older brother Mo’s death. When the plague god Nergal attacks the city seeking the legendary Flower of Immortality, Sik accidentally becomes immortal after ingesting a cutting from that flower. Forced to team up with the goddess Ishtar and her adopted daughter Belet, Sik journeys into the underworld, meets the ancient king Gilgamesh, and learns that the flower can both cure Nergal’s plague and destroy the god himself. With the help of a perfume made from the flower, Sik must choose between saving his family and defeating an immortal enemy—ultimately discovering that true heroism lies in sacrifice.

Full Summary

The story opens with an epigraph from The Epic of Gilgamesh that questions mortality and heroism, setting the mythological tone. Sikander Aziz, a thirteen-year-old Iraqi-American boy, works the night shift at his family’s deli while struggling with the loss of his brother Mo, who died two years earlier in an accident in Iraq. Strange events begin when two demons, Sidana and Idiptu, appear in the alley. Sik traps them in a dumpster, but they escape after a towering, fly-covered figure—Nergal, the god of plagues—arrives.

The next day, a new student named Belet arrives at Sik’s school. She reveals herself to be the adopted daughter of Ishtar, the Mesopotamian goddess of love and war. Ishtar explains that Nergal, her brother, has escaped the underworld to find the Flower of Immortality. Sik learns that Mo had discovered a cutting of the flower and sent it to him; Sik accidentally ingested it, gaining immortality. Meanwhile, Nergal’s plague begins to sicken the city, and Sik’s parents fall into comas.

Ishtar trains Sik and Belet, but when Nergal attacks Ishtar’s home, she sacrifices herself to give them time to escape. Sik is captured and nearly killed by a train, but survives due to his immortality. He and Belet seek refuge in Central Park, where they find a hidden glass ziggurat. Inside, they meet Gilgamesh, the ancient king who faked his death and now lives as a pacifist gardener. He confirms that the Flower of Immortality can cure all illnesses, but it has been lost when the community garden where it grew was paved over.

Determined to retrieve a new flower, Sik and Belet enter the underworld Kurnugi. There, Sik reunites with his brother Mo, who died before he could use the flower. The goddess Erishkigal agrees to help if they can reach the Sea of Tiamat, where the original flower still grows. They trick the monster Humbaba and sail a stone boat across the sea. They retrieve a glowing white flower from a cave, but Mo cannot return to the living world; Sik says goodbye.

Back in New York, two weeks have passed, and the plague has worsened. Sik gives the flower to Gilgamesh, but the demon Idiptu steals it. Despair sets in until Daoud, Sik’s best friend, reveals he made a perfume called “Mo’s Promise” from a pressed flower Sik had planted earlier. This perfume contains diluted essence of the immortal flower. Belet is healed with a single drop, and Daoud agrees to dilute the perfume further to cure the city.

Sik, Belet, and Daoud transform Ishtar’s car into a chariot pulled by winged lamassus. They race toward Manhattan General, but Idiptu attacks. They manage to escape with the perfume tub, but only Sik and two lamassus remain. Sik flies into a storm cloud, opens the tub, and lets the rain disperse the cure over the city. Nergal appears in his full divine form, but the rain, imbued with Mo’s Promise, weakens him. Immortality is revealed to be a sickness; the rain cures it, and Nergal decays and dies, dissolving into flies.

The poxies revert to human form. Sik’s parents recover, having dreamed of Mo. The deli is reopened and renamed “Mo’s.” Belet visits with a gift—Gilgamesh’s royal seal—and announces she will journey to the underworld to rescue Ishtar, but insists Sik stay with his family. The novel ends with a sense of hope and belonging.

Main Characters

Sikander Aziz – Thirteen-year-old Iraqi-American protagonist who becomes immortal after ingesting the Flower of Immortality.
Belet – Ishtar’s adopted daughter, skilled in ballet and combat, who seeks to rescue her mother from the underworld.
Ishtar – Mesopotamian goddess of love and war, motherly figure to Belet, who sacrifices herself fighting Nergal.
Nergal – Mesopotamian god of plagues and death, antagonist who decays and seeks the Flower of Immortality.
Gilgamesh – Ancient king who faked his death, now a pacifist gardener; former hero who consumed the Flower of Immortality.
Mo Aziz – Sikander’s deceased older brother who discovered the Flower of Immortality’s cutting; his memory drives the plot.

Themes

Mortality and Immortality – Explored through the Flower of Immortality, the burden of living forever, and Nergal’s decay.
Heroism and Sacrifice – Contrasts ancient heroic ideals with modern selflessness, as when Sik sacrifices the cure to save the city.
Family and Brotherhood – Centers on Sik’s bond with Mo, his promise to protect his parents, and Ishtar’s adoptive motherhood.
Plague and Decay – Physical manifestation of Nergal’s corruption affecting the city and people, paralleling real-world disease.
Identity and Heritage – Sik’s Iraqi-American identity, his family’s deli, and the tension between modern life and ancient mythology.

Symbols

Flower of Immortality – A glowing white flower that grants eternal life and also cures Nergal’s plague.
Kasusu – A sentient scimitar belonging to Ishtar that speaks and can cut anything, representing divine power.
Mo's Promise – A perfume made from the Flower of Immortality, diluted to cure plague victims, symbolizing hope and love.
Lamassu – Winged guardian lions that protect Ishtar’s home and later pull the chariot, symbolizing divine protection.

Ending Overview

In the climax, Sik allows the diluted perfume “Mo’s Promise” to vaporize into a raincloud, curing the city’s plague. Nergal, who had consumed the Flower of Immortality, begins to decay because the rain cures his immortality as if it were a sickness. He dies, dissolving into flies. The poxies turn back into humans. Sik’s parents recover and remember dreaming of Mo. The family deli is renamed “Mo’s” in his honor. Belet decides to journey to the underworld to rescue Ishtar, but insists Sik stay with his family. The novel ends on a hopeful note, emphasizing love, sacrifice, and the value of ordinary life.

Chapter-by-Chapter Summary

Chapter	Summary
Prologue	An epigraph from The Epic of Gilgamesh questions mortality and heroism, setting the thematic foundation.
Chapter 1	Sik closes the deli, imagines talking to his dead brother Mo, and investigates strange noises in the alley.
Chapter 2	Two demons, Sidana and Idiptu, plot to kidnap Sik; Sik traps them, but they escape; a fly-covered boss appears.
Chapter 3	Demons attack the deli; a masked ninja (Belet) rescues Sik; the boss escapes as a swarm of insects.
Chapter 4	Belet joins Sik’s school; she uses ballet to fight a bully; Ishtar arrives in a Jaguar.
Chapter 5	Ishtar reveals she is a goddess; the monster was sent by her sister Erishkigal; Sik chooses to learn the truth.
Chapter 6	Sik visits Ishtar’s townhouse; meets a talking sword Kasusu; learns Nergal is the plague god.
Chapter 7	Flashback: Ishtar remembers the Trojan War and WWII; she confronts Nergal and defends a French town.
Chapter 8	Sik refuses Ishtar’s offer; returns home to find his parents in comas from the plague.
Chapter 9	Ishtar and Belet convince Sik that Nergal caused the plague; Sik redefines his struggle as a jihad to save his family.
Chapter 10	Sik wakes in Belet’s penthouse; Daoud moved in to honor Mo’s promise; Ishtar acknowledges a higher power, Ea.
Chapter 11	Sik and Belet visit a kebab kitchen; a homeless girl Ada reveals Nergal arrived in a shipping container at Gravesend Dock.
Chapter 12	They inspect the container; walls are covered with “Gilgamesh lied” in cuneiform; dockworkers infected by Nergal attack.
Chapter 13	Training with Kasusu; the sword reveals Gilgamesh never failed a battle but could not save Enkidu; Sik is defeated by a cat.
Chapter 14	Sik visits his parents in the hospital; Idiptu delivers Nergal’s threat; Sik refuses and threatens back.
Chapter 15	Belet shares her past as an Iraqi war orphan; Ishtar asks Sik to be Belet’s friend; the mystery of what Mo took deepens.
Chapter 16	Ishtar shows Sik portraits of her adopted children; she calls immortality a sickness and gives him a king’s seal ring; Nergal arrives.
Chapter 17	The house decays; cats transform into lamassus; Ishtar faces Nergal as a god surge warps reality.
Chapter 18	Nergal kills Ishtar; Sik surrenders to demons to protect Belet.
Chapter 19	Sik is taken to Sunnyside Yard; he manipulates demons into fighting each other; a train derails and hits him.
Chapter 20	Sik wakes in a morgue; calls Belet; learns the city is in lockdown with “poxies.”
Chapter 21	Sik heals from near-fatal injuries; Belet mourns Ishtar; they plan to use the golden lion ring.
Chapter 22	They enter Central Park; find a hidden glass ziggurat; a giant gardener introduces himself as Gilgamesh.
Chapter 23	Gilgamesh explains the Flower of Immortality: he faked his death, consumed the flower, and the seed eventually grew in Mo’s garden; Sik accidentally ingested it.
Chapter 24	Gilgamesh sends them to retrieve the flower from the community garden, but it has been paved over; the flower is gone.
Chapter 25	Belet argues with Sik and runs off; Sik helps a dead man named Harry and is pushed onto a ghost train.
Chapter 26	Sik arrives in the afterlife; explores ruins; finds a lion figurine; Mo rises from the shadows and greets him.
Chapter 27	Sik reunites with Mo in the underworld; Mo explains he discovered the flower but died before using it; Erishkigal and Ishtar arrive.
Chapter 28	The goddesses agree to help: the original flower grows in the Sea of Tiamat; the brothers must obtain Gilgamesh’s boat guarded by Humbaba.
Chapter 29	Sik and Mo trick Humbaba with spicy Baghdad sauce; they find Gilgamesh’s stone boat; a tidal wave appears.
Chapter 30	They survive the Sea of Tiamat; Mo is swept away but saved by a magical net; they dive to find the flower.
Chapter 31	Sik and Mo find the glowing flower in a cave; Mo identifies it as the Flower of Immortality.
Chapter 32	They escape a serpent; Mo says he cannot return to the living world; Sik says goodbye.
Chapter 33	Sik swims back to Central Park; Belet and Gilgamesh greet him; they plan to distill the flower into the water supply; Nergal’s legions attack.
Chapter 34	Gilgamesh uses his power to scatter demons; Belet is wounded; Idiptu steals the flower.
Chapter 35	Sik carries Belet through devastated Manhattan; Daoud reveals he made a perfume “Mo’s Promise” from a pressed flower; it could be a new version of the immortal flower.
Chapter 36	Belet is healed by the perfume; Daoud agrees to dilute it for more victims; the group prepares to find Idiptu.
Chapter 37	The car transforms into a chariot pulled by lamassus; they fight poxies; Idiptu appears; the three charge together.
Chapter 38	The chariot crashes; Idiptu grabs Daoud; Belet recovers the tub of perfume; Sik flies alone toward the hospital.
Chapter 39	Sik battles Nergal in the sky; he opens the tub into a thundercloud, letting the cure rain down; he falls.
Chapter 40	Sik wakes on Seventh Avenue; Nergal decays from the rain; the poxies revert to humans; Nergal dies.
Chapter 41	After Nergal’s defeat, Sik’s parents recover and dream of Mo; the deli is renamed “Mo’s”; Belet visits and says she will rescue Ishtar from the underworld alone.
Author’s Note	Chadda explains he wrote the book before COVID-19, discusses the meaning of jihad, and thanks cultural consultants.
About the Authors	Biographies of Sarwat Chadda and Rick Riordan, and the mission of the Rick Riordan Presents imprint.

Common Questions and Answers

Why is Nergal after the Flower of Immortality?
Nergal is decaying and seeks the flower to restore his own immortality and stop his body from rotting away.
How does Sik become immortal?
He accidentally ingests a cutting of the Flower of Immortality that his brother Mo sent him. The cutting was planted in a garden, and Sik consumed it without knowing.
What is Mo’s Promise?
It is a perfume Daoud made from a pressed flower that came from the same plant as the Flower of Immortality. When diluted, it can cure Nergal’s plague.
Does Gilgamesh help Sik?
Yes, but reluctantly. He provides information about the Flower of Immortality and gives Sik a magical bag, but he refuses to fight because he has become a pacifist.
Why does Nergal decay at the end?
The rain containing Mo’s Promise cures the immortality that had become a sickness in Nergal. As his immortality is removed, his body rapidly ages and dies.
What happens to Belet at the end?
Belet decides to journey to the underworld Kurnugi to rescue her mother Ishtar, but she insists Sik stay behind with his family.
How does the plague end?
Sik opens the tub of Mo’s Promise into a thundercloud, allowing the rain to spread the cure across Manhattan. The poxies revert to human form, and the plague is ended.
What is the significance of the deli being renamed “Mo’s”?
It honors Sik’s brother Mo and his legacy of love and sacrifice, transforming the family business into a memorial and a symbol of hope and community.