Britain is at war with India as the 19th century draws to a close. The steam powered armies of the Nizam of Hyderabad are pushing the British Empire from India while the streets of London are subjected to the terror of the Thuggee cult. Professor James Maxwell is developing a new weapon for the Ministry of Defence that could change the tide of the war, but he also has the terrorist threat to London in his sights.
Professor Maxwell settles into his new life in India. Terror strikes at the Grand Exposition and the conspiracy deepens as new allies are made and an old adversary reappears. But who can Maxwell trust?