China, 1800, and the Doctor, Jamie and Zoe arrive at the English Trade Concession in Canton. A supposedly harmless relic known as the Spirit Gate becomes active and whisks Jamie and Zoë into the future. The Doctor follows in the TARDIS and arrives in England, 1900, where the descendants of an English merchant from 1800 are gathering. Among their number is a young man called Carnacki, an expert in all things mystical, and before long he is helping the Doctor investigate a series of bizarre murders in the house. The spirits of the past have returned, and when the Doctor discovers that the house and surrounds have literally been taken out of space and time, he realises that their attacker may not be all they seem.