Rachaela Day is an emotionally distant bookshop clerk in present-day London. Abandoned before birth by her enigmatic father, Rachaela has lived alone since the death of her mother. She accepts a mysterious invitation to stay at the seaside house of Scarabae with her estranged father and his family. The Scarabae, whose existence Rachaela's mother fearfully concealed, eventually reveal themselves to be a clan of vampires who must interbreed to keep their bloodlines intact. Mesmerized by her father's spell and seduced, Rachaela flees, only to find that she is pregnant with the heir to the family's legacy. Twelve years later, Rachaela must return to the Scarabae to rescue her daughter, Ruth, who has been taken back in order to fulfill her horrible destiny.