Oliver is an orphan living on the dangerous London streets with no one but himself to rely on. Fleeing from poverty and hardship, he falls in with a criminal street gang who will not let him go, however hard he tries to escape. This work conjures up the capital's underworld, full of prostitutes, thieves and lost and homeless children.

On Good Friday evening in the year 1300, Dante finds himself lost in the woods. The ghost of Virgil offers to lead him to safety but the path lies through the terrifying kingdom of Satan. On his journey, he crosses paths with old acquaintances and famous characters from history as he witnesses the strange and gruesome sufferings of the damned.

Ursula and Gudrun are very different sisters who become entangled with two friends, Rupert and Gerald, who live in their hometown. The bonds between the couples quickly become intense and passionate but whether this passion is creative or destructive is unclear.