The story behind the Night Watch novels and motion pictures is, in a nutshell, that two mystical armies of otherworldly beings known as the Others (one group being evil, the other good) have been secretly waging war against each other throughout the course of human history, unbeknownst to any human in history. However, the events in the novels and motion pictures take place in the present day so that battles aren't fought with just pistols and machine guns, but also with sorcery and, curiously enough, electric lights. In the game, you play as Stas, a cocky, blond-haired youth who is down on his luck and takes a bribe to perform an assassin's job. However, training your sniper rifle on a seemingly normal target summons an otherworldly female wizard from the shadows, who rebukes Stas for being so coldhearted. The brash youth then learns that he, too, possesses magical powers, such as the ability to change his shape into that of a fierce animal. He also learns that not all of his enemies are normal humans; the Others possess mystical powers, but his evil enemies can also be harmed by something as simple as the beam from his pocket flashlight.