To Scarlet, who survived on the harsh streets of medieval Amsterdam and for whom no lock is beyond her skill, nothing is what it seems. From the forbidding castle deep in Germany's woodlands where a seductive but sadistic couple hires her to care for a mysterious prisoner, to the menace hanging over the land like a great spider, watching, waiting to descend on its unsuspecting prey.

From the violence and depravity of the couple's carnal games where nothing is sacred and everything is permitted, to the dangerous man in the tower, Master Fredrick, who patiently waits for the day revenge will be his.

From the glowing eyes watching her in the darkness, calling her, awakening in Scarlet a hunger she did not know could exist, to Master Fredrick's ghostly beauty and the secret he harbors. From the albino wolf who dwells in her dreams, in his world of shadows and whispers, to the couple's threats should she make the wrong choice and ruin their amusement.

From the thing of nightmares into which Master Fredrick regularly transforms, to his immortal love for Scarlet.

Nothing is what it seems…