Set in late-19th-century London, the novel follows an agent involved in espionage for an unnamed foreign power amid a small circle touched by anarchist agitation. The book traces the effects of political plotting and covert operations on ordinary lives, especially relationships marked by dependency and vulnerability.

Victor Frankenstein, a young scientist, pursues an unconventional experiment that produces a sapient being assembled from disparate parts. The setup places questions of responsibility, suffering, and consequence at the center: the creator must confront what his act of making another life unleashes on both parties.