Hans Schneider is a drunkard and a womaniser; everyone agrees he's heading for a bad end. When he kills a fellow student in a duel, he finds himself banished to an isolated rural hospital, far from the pleasures he desires. There he meets the mysterious Dr Lavenza, and learns about Frankenstein's prescription-the secret of eternal life.

Together, Schneider and Lavenza set out to collect the missing pieces of the formula. But they are not alone. From Germany to Rome, from Rome to Paris, to the failed and wretched Eden of an all-too-human God, a dreadful creature follows in their wake, bringing destruction wherever they go.

Poor Schneider wants an easy time: drink, women and good company. Instead, he finds himself beset by ghosts and madmen, in a world where music brings the dead to life, and even the most terrifying monster can prove strangely sympathetic ...