As an African tightrope dancer in Victorian London, Iris is a strange sight for leering British audiences always eager for the spectacle of colonial curiosity. But Iris also has a secret: she cannot die. Haunted by her unnatural power and with no memories of her past, Iris is obsessed with discovering who she is. Then she meets the dark and alluring Adam Temple, a member of a mysterious order called the Enlightenment Committee. Adam shares with her a terrifying revelation: the world is ending, and the Committee will decide who lives. To help them choose a leader for the upcoming apocalypse, the Committee is holding the Tournament of Freaks, a competition of vicious fighters with fantastical abilities. Adam wants Iris to be his champion-- and in exchange will give her the truth about who she really is.