A tale of two cities: Gloucester and London. A tale of two orphans at the Coram Hospital for Deserted Children: Toby, saved from an African slave ship and Aaron, the abandoned son of the heir to a great estate. A tale of fathers and sons, set in the dark heart of 18th-century England. An epic adventure filled with danger and excitement.
As playwright Philip Pullman describes it, "a rich and almost gothic drama unfolds, full of dastardly villains, cold-hearted aristocrats, devoted friends and passionate lovers, and set against a background of cruelty, music and murder."