Intrigue, passion, and murder surround the suspicious disappearance of famed Philadelphia financier Lemuel Beale in the winter of 1842. As his daughter and only child, Martha searches for her father. She begins to develop a romantic attachment to Thomas Kelman, an assistant to the mayor who's been assigned to the case. Kelman has also been investigating the ritual slayings of several young women; a likely suspect appears to be the renowned conjurer and clairvoyant Eusapio Paladino. Could there be a connection between the two cases?