Turtle Southton meets her uncle Cheroot for the first time when he visits her parents' modest farm, located in the beautiful Cotswolds of England. She does not know that their visitor isn't really human, although she does suspect that there is something worryingly strange about him.
Uncle Cheroot, it seems, is in love with Turtle's mother, Julia, and is determined to make her like him through a mysterious blood exchange ritual. He returns to the farm over a period of several years, often involved in adventures with the locals. When Cheroot finally realizes that he will never change Julia, he leaves, and the family soon learns of his death in a plane crash. Shortly thereafter, however, Turtle finds her uncle's diary and discovers the truth about him: he has lived for centuries as a hybrid vampire and a powerful Druid warlock. What's more, Turtle realizes that she too has the gift—or curse—of longevity through an unplanned exchange of blood with her...