This fantasy series tells the alternative history of 19th-century England, where magic once existed and has returned with two men: Gilbert Norrell and Jonathan Strange, who pit their skills against the might of Napoleon, the mythical Raven King and death. The clash between these two British magicians is about to become a dangerous duel of the dark arts where, in the midst of the Napoleonic wars, the real battle is between their oversized egos.

In 1870s London, a prostitute known as Sugar sees a potential way out of the brothel she works for when she is taken in by William Rackham, the son of a wealthy businessman.