London, 1785, and James Mallen, an eminent surgeon, is found dead on the banks of the Thames. As his restless ghost searches obsessively for the identity of his own murderer as well as for the spirit of his lover, Augusta, he begins to gather other ghosts around him - ghosts such as Queen Caroline, bewailing her ill-treatment by King George, and his maid, still keeping an eye out for him beyond the grave. Woven into the story of his afterlife is the parallel narrative of his life: of the rising science of medicine and of his rise through society, his marriage, and his passionate affair with Augusta, the charismatic wife of an MP, that leads to his ultimate downfall. Together both narratives give a vivid, atmospheric impression of the times and, with great imagination, playful humour and emotional subtlety, Miranda Hearn makes her ghosts as real and affecting as their earthly selves.