It is a historical novel that tells the intersecting stories of two real-life figures - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous author of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and George Edalji, a half-Indian solicitor wrongfully accused of a crime.
The book alternates between tracing the early lives and backgrounds of Arthur and George, who grew up in very different circumstances in late 19th century Britain.
George, the son of a vicar, is falsely convicted in the "Great Wyrley Outrages" case involving a series of animal mutilations and other crimes.
Arthur, initially skeptical of George's innocence, eventually takes up his cause after scrutinizing the flawed evidence and realizing the role of racial prejudice in the case.
A significant portion also covers Arthur's personal life - his relationship with his first wife Louisa who suffered from tuberculosis, his platonic love for Jean Leckie, and his deep interest in spiritualism.

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