The Poisoned Table is a work of fiction that interweaves the author's invention, nineteenth-century actress Isabel Graves, supporting characters in her life, fictitious news accounts and correspondence, and an imaginary anti-slavery play performed on the British stage with the life of renowned British actress Frances Anne "Fanny" Kemble. The novel traces their unconnected adventures and acting careers in the Old and New Worlds, as well as their introduction to the horrors of American slavery.