Twists and turns abound in this historically inspired novel as William Sutcliffe, a former Continental soldier, flees to avoid arrest after his wife, Rachel, is murdered by Eli, a sadistic vampire. Sutcliffe, also a vampire, swears an oath to avenge her murder and begins a journey that spans 230 years and eventually takes him to a small city on the shores of Lake Erie where he meets and marries Patty and takes up residency in the house on Royal Street. But, he once again crosses paths with Eli who has become a powerful drug kingpin and Sutcliffe must form an unlikely alliance with a teenage girl and a middle aged police detective if he is to have any chance of fulfilling his oath to avenge his first wife's murder.