Before John Hunter became known as “The Father of Modern Surgery”, he was just Jack. An uneducated, directionless ne’er-do-well, he works as a grave robber to fill the dissection tables of his older brother’s anatomy school.

But, when his brother teaches him the art of dissection, Jack makes a wonderful discovery about himself. He not only shows an innate talent for the work, but he loves it with a deep, abiding passion. And he will do almost anything to discover the secrets of the human body.

One night, Jack gets word of a newly vacated body. This body is special—so special that any anatomist in the city would kill for a chance to dissect it. Determined to procure it, Jack sets off on a rollicking romp through the underbelly of Covent Garden, encountering betrayal, love, and lots of gin along the way.