What started out as a means to support Warren Hayward and his secret lover, Ben, has now become a booming business with an ever-rising price. Warren makes a good living by selling startlingly lifelike automatons to the super-wealthy of Victorian London. The only problem is that they aren't automatons at all. They're golems given life by witchcraft--and each one costs a human soul. Warren's road is paved with good intentions, but blood is the price of keeping his love secret and safe, and demand is high. Ben is a London constable with a good heart and a steady moral compass at odds with Warren's sliding scale of ethics. With the help of two loyal Irish thugs and his first accidental golem, Warren is building an empire and keeping its inner workings secret from the man he loves. The business will lead him into the hedonism and power of high society, and being in the spotlight can drive a man to do desperate things. With secrets, blood, and dangerous magic taking over his life, Warren risks losing himself for the sake of his love. Is there room for humanity when your business is death, and can a man remember why he started a journey when he can no longer see the start?