In India in the 1597, Thomas, a young English apothecary's apprentice, has been sent to collect rare herbs in Africa and India. During his travels, he encounters an alchemist who has possession of a mysterious powder that can restore life to the dead. But the captain of the ship on which Chinnery sails has piracy on his mind, rather than trade. And when they attack a small, rich ship fleeing the city of Goa, Thomas Chinnery is set on the path that will lead him through his darkest nightmares into the dungeons of the Inquisition and thence to the heart of ancient India.