Paris, 1903. Major-General Sir Hector Macdonald, one of the greatest heroes of the British Empire whose career took him from the poverty of the Scottish highlands to becoming the military governer of Ceylon, faces ruin in a shocking homosexual scandal. When he meets the notorious occultist, Aleister Crowley, he finds himself setting out into the night on a wild journey through the sinful city, and the story of his tragedy begins to unfold - with startling revelations both for the general and the aspiring magician. In a tale that ranges from the battlefields of Sudan and Afghanistan to the Boer Wars, Jake Arnott brings alive a fascinating, forgotten figure of history, and a world trembling on the brink of a brutal new era. Black magic, Kitchener and Islamic revolution are just some of the ingredients in this bold and exhilarating novel, which explores imperialism, sexuality and the very nature of belief with an immediacy that resonates into the present.