In 1875, Inspector Ol'Barrow of Dover's borough police is still coming to terms with the advent of radio dramas when he is confronted by a series of crimes that defy explanation. During their investigation, he and his colleague Bigsby come eye to eye with an assassin with otherworldly origins. Spurred on by his sense of duty and a desire to redeem himself, Inspector Ol'Barrow encounters a clandestine organization called The Association of Ishtar. They claim to be mere advisors who aid the authorities with the containment of anomalies known as Rifts. These are harmless gateways to other worlds but also provide access to the many threats lurking inside the multiverse. Ol'Barrow's eyes are opened to a reality in which Napoleon used alien weapons to bombard England. Companies are developing out-of-this-world technology. And worst of all, everyone takes the progress it created for granted. Humanity is advancing into an increasingly technocratic future. Where will it end? As far as certain groups are concerned, biology is a dead end, and humanity needs to ascend.