The character of John Thunstone had previously appeared in a series of short stories by Wellman.

Originally published in popular pulp magazines of the day, several of them were collected and reprinted in an anthology, Lonely Vigils.

In his introduction to the novel Wellman mistakenly states that, while many of the locations he mentions have real-life counterparts, Claines is an entirely fictional locale, and such a place has never existed in England.

While visiting London, John Thunstone hears strange stories concerning the nearby hamlet of Claines, a pair of ancient pagan artifacts, and the annual ritual that accompanies them.

While there he experiences strange visions of the distant past and gradually realizes their significance to the present.