The decline of a prominent family owing to alcoholism and impoverishment in Hamilton Canada in the early 1850s leads to threats of suicide in 1873 when a young girl is denied her inheritance. The story is set against problems imperiling the city such as crime, cholera, financial collapse and legal malfeasance. The courage and reliability of another member of the family help rescue its reputation and contribute to the restoration of the city’s prosperity. Figures from the city’s past walk its streets, inhabit its taverns, fall in love and contrive criminal enterprises to bring it to life once more.