London, the 1860s. Steam technology has advanced tremendously since the invention of the caloric converter, a device that can extract heat from coal and store it in liquid form. Gladys Dunchurch is a clever, cantankerous Australian music hall performer who has sought her fortune on the London stage, only to find herself working for Gruffydd Pritchard, a drunken and unsuccessful stage magician. Gruffydd has one great advantage as a magician – a wand that can teleport people across short distances. When Gruffydd goes missing, Gladys searches for him, and runs into 'Charlie' Decharles. Charlie is a well-meaning but foolish aristocrat, who woke up one morning in a steam-cab to find the driver murdered, and has resolved to find the murderer.
