Following the mysterious disappearance of her husband during the Great War, Ruth Black, the daughter of a wealthy British aristocrat, turns her hand to writing novels in the mode of what will soon be known as science fiction. Seeking a fresh start away from her demanding father and the unanswered questions over her husband, Ruth moves across the world to Australia. In the sleepy fishing town of Pelican River, she finds peace in her writing, a pleasant friendship with Gordon, an inventor, and formidable support from her butler Rutherford. Then Ruth runs foul of a sinister local priest and receives word of the imminent arrival of her estranged Aunt Julia, who has had terrifying prophetic dreams of Ruth's brutal murder. Suddenly truth is much more alarming than fiction, and it comes with a vengeful, supernatural twist that will test to the utmost this rational writer, her inventor friend and the resourceful butler.