An eccentric mystery set in the 19th century--the story unfolds as John Abbott is sent to investigate the murder of a young woman. As he descends a winding road into town in a mule-drawn carriage, he reads from his prayer book and observes the countryside. Once Abbott enters the grey, industrial hamlet of Sutheridge, the world mutates into a gloomy and decaying destortion of an old time vision of modern times in the 1800s. Confident, he begins to collect evidence but soon is interrupted by a corrupt local government. The case turns out to be much more confusing and dangerous than first imagined. His success is threatened by an underground revolution and a deceptive bureaucracy which operates a maze of secret tunnels, and uses mechanical devices designed to distort and conceal information. Abbott needs to interpret the cryptic clues underlying the case, but his stubborn resistance against evil leads him toward self destruction as he faces a targic destiny.