Three mysterious travelers, all hailing from Victorian London, meet -- perhaps not accidentally -- in the depths of the long-thought-lost Cave of Wonders. Within the cave they have found six elixirs. Drinking any one could bring madness, or death, or power. But all three travelers have reasons for drinking, and all three have decided that it's worth risking their lives on a swallow.

Alexander Clay doesn't age and doesn't die -- he's as beautiful now as he was at twenty-five. This wicked immortal has spent heartless decades seducing and discarding a string of innocent lovers. What could he possibly want with a cave of potions and wishes? He already has eternal life at his fingertips, so what could be worth risking madness?

Vesper Von Eternity lives a life of danger and adventure on the edges of the empire. She's stared down tigers, tamed snakes, studied with mystics and riddled with rajahs. In more "civilized" climes, the public thrills to reprinted accounts of her exploits. But some tragedies can't be averted with fame or guts or brains, so Vesper is determined to claim the magic she needs before it's too late.

Edgar Eakins might have been celebrated for his genius in a more tolerant age, but his obsessions and eccentricities have left him on the outskirts of London society. This shabby, sunken, despised man is rumored to have wrought hellish wonders in his taboo scientific experiments. His true goals, however, remain unknown...

It is no coincidence that these three have come across one another. Now they must parley, and palaver, and gamble their fortunes, and risk their very lives -- and drink.