John Roe, a young boy of London slums, loses his mother in a freak incident: homicide at the hands of a lunatic. Years later, now adopted son of the prestigious House of Dawson, John joins Oxford University accompanied by his foster brother Edward. John has one singular goal: to understand the inner workings of an insane mind. Even the curriculum of the world's best college leaves John's curiosity unquenched. But when four serial killers break loose from Oxford Asylum and a city wide hunt is initiated following a series of grisly murders, John's brilliant mind finds its moment of glory. While he battles against the demented minds of Oxford's worst, he doesn't quite know that he is but a pawn in a much more sinister game of intellect. Can John unveil the ultimate evil before it is too late?