May 1816: Jane Austen is feeling unwell, with an uneasy stomach, constant fatigue, rashes, fevers and aches. Her apothecary recommends a trial of the curative waters at Cheltenham Spa. Jane decides to use some of the profits earned from her last novel, Emma, and treat herself to a period of rest at the spa, in the company of her sister, Cassandra. Cheltenham Spa hardly turns out to be the relaxing sojourn Jane and Cassandra envisaged. It is immediately obvious that other boarders at the guest house have come to Cheltenham with stresses of their own - some of them deadly...