John Pepo, an Irishman who emigrated with his family into England, lived an ordinary life with ordinary dreams; but then, everything changed. Shortly before the tragic death of his family, John began having other dreams. He dreamed of a young man covered in lightning, a girl with tattoos, and of a man marked with VI from another world. However, what John dreamed about most of all was of fire, and of laughter.

After being summoned to London, John finds himself in Whitechapel. There, in the impoverished district known for its whores and beggars, he's met by a strange being in a dark alley who declares himself to be Jack the Ripper. Jack tells him he's been watching him; that he's been waiting for this day, a day foretold by the gods so that together they can fix a great aberration blighting the city.

Thus begins the riveting quest of the infamous Jack the Ripper and his most beloved friend John. As the devilish Jack haunts the streets like a spectre while mutilating his victims, the tales of those they damned and those they saved come to light. This is a story of loss, demons, witches, and the torment of one man by the puppeteering hands of a very stingy individual named Old Nick.