“The act of translation is definitely an act of betrayal.” Victorian England, 1828. Robin Swift, an orphan from Canton, China, arrives in London with his guardian, the mysterious Professor Lovell.

Over the next six years, he will study Latin, Ancient Greek, and Chinese, preparing for the day he will enroll in the famous Royal Institute of Translation – known as Babel – at the University of Oxford. The Tower of Babel is the global center of translation and, above all, the global center of magic.

Silversmithing – the art of conveying meaning lost in translation through the use of magical silver wands – has brought incredible power to Britain, as this secret technique serves the colonial mission of the empire.

For Robin, Oxford is a utopia dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge. But knowledge obeys power, and he, as a young Chinese man raised in Britain, realizes that by serving Babel, he is essentially betraying his homeland.

As he advances in his studies, Robin finds himself trapped between Babel and the mysterious Hermes Brotherhood, an organization determined to stop the expansion of the empire. And when Britain unjustly declares war on China for silver and opium, Robin is called to decide… Can powerful institutions be reformed through internal processes, or is violence necessary for every revolution?