As a child, Frederick Morton lives with his broken family in a Stepney slum, mudlarking on the Thames riverbank to survive. Through the sponsorship of Lord Bartholomew Forgill, Frederick gains a top-notch education. One night, however, staying at the Forgill residence, he witnesses a distressing incident that will haunt him through the years. At twenty-five, now an engineer in Lord Forgill's steam engine company, Frederick falls...