It is 1879 and the sky above London burns with fire, revealing the rift through which nameless terrors threaten to tear apart the very fabric of reality. Lillian Hardwick and her psychic partner Sir Arthur Furnival--agents of the Crown--have been sent to investigate a series of disappearances from the slums. Meanwhile her brother and fellow agent John Hardwick has been sent north on his own mission, which culminates in a horrifying discovery. In a world already beset by enemies, the Hardwicks will discover an ancient threat that has long hidden in the shadows, but is ready to make its power known...