A Hungarian book lover unexpectedly finds himself caught in a ghostly web of intrigue at a Welsh castle. "Basically, all stories begin with my birth in Budapest," begins János Bátky, a Doctor of Philosophy with a particular interest in the English mystics of the 17th century and a deep affection for all things English, as he recounts his extraordinarily eerie tale filled with inexplicable adventures. This story starts with an evening gathering in London, where he is introduced to Owen Pendragon, the current Earl of Gwynned, about whom many wondrous tales are told – including that he conducts experiments with strange animals in a secret laboratory at his Welsh castle, in pursuit of eternal life, true to the Pendragon family motto, "I believe in the resurrection of the flesh.".