The narrative is set in C18 England & Italy, whereby striking differences exist. Set against this background, the narrative involves a full account of periods in both countries, covering twenty-three years of Cornelius' life; his abandonment as a child, his rescue and education by an Alchemist, Sneep, his further education by the prodigious Count Amati, and eventual rescue of Cornelius' mother. There are several life changing events of both sinister and auspicious dimension and a series of murders, which have a devastating impact upon Cornelius' life.