The beautiful and enigmatic Dr. Helen Magnus has devoted her life to the practical research of cutting edge medicine and science. The daughter of the most brilliant and controversial medical researcher of his day, she was exposed early on to his secret laboratory. He taught her the wonders of his world, knowing these revelations would change her forever.

Well over a century later, Magnus runs the Sanctuary where she tracks, protects and learns from the extraordinary and paranormal creatures that inhabit our world.

Although they are dismissed as monstrous figments of our imaginations and the elements of our childhood nightmares, Magnus recognizes that the world is full of nature's mistakes and triumphs. And she has the spectacular proof that they are indeed real. For some 'abnormals', Magnus becomes their protector. And for a dangerous few, she is their captor.

Magnus is bold and straightforward, brave and no-nonsense, yet she remains proudly true to her formal Victorian English sensibilities. She adores her daughter Ashley, respecting her independence and self-reliance - but that doesn't preclude some occasional mother-daughter friction.

Magnus's past is long and colorful...as one would expect from a life lasting 157 years. The secret to her seemingly eternal youth is one of many mysteries hidden within the walls of the Sanctuary.