Three bodies have been found along Long Acre, drained of blood and with two puncture marks on their necks.
Nearby, at the Lyceum theatre, the famous actor-manager Sir Henry Irving has adapted Bram Stoker's novel Dracula for the stage and is playing the Count himself.
The play receives praise, as all that is associated with Sir Henry is wont to do; at least, until the connections between the play's subject matter and the bodies found in the proximity of the theatre are brought to light.
The box office for the play suffers a blow as Sir Henry is being implicated by association; he must therefore try to prove his innocence, or risk the future of the play, so he turns to Sherlock Holmes for help in the matter.
The play moves from London to Brighton, in an attempt to save the box office, but intrigue seems to follow Sir Henry wherever he goes. The famous duo, aided by Inspector Lestrade, must find the culprit before another body appears.
As Holmes and Watson get tangled up in this bizarre case, it soon becomes clear that nothing is as it seems.
They quickly find themselves immersed in a world of duplicity, forgery and insanity, where acting is the name of the game.