The story is set in two main time periods: modern Britain, when George Poole finds that he has a previously unknown sister and follows a trail to a mysterious and ancient organisation in Rome (Puissant Order of Holy Mary Queen of Virgins); and the time of Regina, a girl growing up during the ending of Roman rule in Britain, around AD 400.

He meets Peter McLachlan, an eccentric member of an online free-thinking Internet group called the Slan(t)ers, who is researching dark matter and who is fascinated by a new and unknown artificial object discovered beyond the orbit of Pluto.

Poole also discovers that his father regularly donated large sums of money to an organisation called the "Puissant Order of Holy Mary Queen of Virgins".

Combined with a sense of futility in determining his future and encouragement from both Peter and his former wife Linda, Poole decides to uncover the mystery of his missing sister.

After spoiling his clever nephews as well as clashing with his distant sister Gina, Poole extracts the contact of a Jesuit priest in Rome and his own retired uncle in Florida.

Regina seeks refuge with her servant Cartumandua's relatives in Verulamium but is betrayed by Carta's cousin Amator who rapes and abandons her.

This event convinces Regina, the leader of their hamlet, to accept the invitation of warlord Artorius to help restore order to Britain again.

After being impregnated by an anonymous distant cousin in a ceremony held deep within the Order's chambers Lucia gives birth following only three months of pregnancy.

Back in 5th Century Britain, Regina establishes her life working with Artorius, eventually managing his kingdom's record keeping.

To search out her mother, Julia, Regina secures passage to Rome by allowing herself and her daughter to give sexual favours to a wealthy merchant named Ceawlin.

Upon arriving in Rome, Regina contacts Amator, now openly homosexual and a wealthy bakery owner, and demands recompense for abandoning her and her family.

The Order promptly retrieves Lucia from the hospital but not before Peter and George learn that most of the Crypt's inhabitants remain prepubescent indefinitely.

Days later, George learns that Peter has invaded the Crypt and is threatening to set off Semtex plastic explosives to expose the Order.

Peter and the Slan(t)ers are responsible for the recent bombing of a San Jose research facility investigating quantum gravity technology – under the belief that a higher intelligence would notice the manipulation of space-time and eradicate a possible threat to their superiority.