In 1766, a boy, Billy Marvel, is shipwrecked, rescued, and goes on to find a brilliant family of actors that flourishes in London until 1900, and nearly a century later, Joseph Jervis, runs away from home, seeking refuge with his uncle in London, and is captivated by the Marvel house, with its portraits and ghostly presences.

Told in two stand-alone stories, the first nearly 400 pages of continuous illustrations, and the second in text.