19th-century New York. The arrival of massive waves of immigrants, full of hopes and fears, has let loose an ‘oneiric tempest’ – a psychic storm. Now, every night, throughout the city, dreams and nightmares turn into concrete reality.

To deal with these manifestations, the government has created the agency known as Ellis. This ultra-secret organization employs agents with very specific abilities, charged with keeping the citizens of New York safe from the terrible truth. Their missions are hugely varied, shaped by the dreams of the New Yorkers affected by the oneiric storm. One day they may have to secure a winning lottery ticket which has suddenly appeared on a dreamer’s nightstand; another, they may have to face down an Abomination — a species of particularly frightening nightmare that arises from the populace’s collective unconscious.

Deep O’Neil is a young policeman who dreams of working with Ellis, like his father before him. When he appears on the agency’s doorstep, the director, intrigued, takes him on at once. She wants to take advantage of the strange powers that the young man seems to possess – and she also wants to keep an eye on him. After all, Deep O’Neil is supposed to have been dead and buried for months…