Helen Franklin, an inconspicuous Englishwoman, lives in Prague, makes a living from translations and has been keeping some terrible secret for twenty years. Her secret is seemingly destined to be a thing of the past, but things change when, through Karel, one of her few friends, a strange confession falls into Helen's hands. Having first read the story of Melmoth the Witness - a frightening figure from ancient legends, doomed to wander the earth forever and observe human sins - Helen is convinced that this is just a fairy tale. But Karel suddenly disappears, and Helen herself discovers that someone is chasing her, and then the existence of Melmoth begins to seem to her not so incredible. The famous legend of Melmoth has excited the imagination of both readers and writers for more than one century. Many generations were read by the classic novel by Charles Meturin "Melmot the Drifter," and here is a new version of the great story, and even performed by one of the best English writers.