When Oliver Merritt's parents were murdered by a strange, shadowed man in an alleyway off the foggy streets of Victorian London, he vowed to get revenge against him. In his sorrow, Oliver discovered he has magic—an energy that's anchored to his physical self and acts as an enhanced extension of his senses, but only stays with him if he remains chaste. With nowhere else to go, Oliver accepts an offer to live in a brothel, starting work as an exotic dancer to earn his keep. If he thought his life had been turned upside down, things become even more interesting when a scraggly, tousle-haired lad named Tom Arkwright—the son of a local constable—arrives at the brothel as part of another murder investigation. Together they help each other with their cases, and in doing so, they realize the shadowed man who murdered Oliver's parents—called the Skilamalink Man—is responsible for all the murders in the area. Oliver soon finds himself falling for the charming, streetwise young Tom. Now he must choose between revenge and love. But if he chooses his heart, is it right to sacrifice his magic, when it might be the only thing that can stop the Skilamalink Man from killing again?