It's Autumn of 1898 in the Docklands of London, where the world's first consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, is called to investigate the appearance of a long overdue clipper ship, the Matilda Briggs, that arrives with no crew, aside from a young boy, dead from a mysterious attack. The case does not particularly capture Sherlock Holmes's attention, however he does take interest in investigating the disappearance of a famous archaeologist, leading to a shocking conclusion on the waterfront.