Christmas 1899 is approaching and Reg Dawkins, adopted son of the infamous Artful Dodger, is facing a lifetime dilemma. The Turn of the Century is a time of new beginnings and Reg is caught between nostalgia for his misspent youth and the desire to please his adopted other, Lily, by becoming a successful but honest man.

It takes a thief to catch a thief and Reg is hurled into one situation after another where he has to choose which side he is on. A chance encounter with an old friend takes him back into the criminal society that he thought he had escaped, but it isn't as simple as making a choice of his own path, because the old friend is also his adopted mother's lost sister.

With the dawn of a new century before him and dangerous villains chasing behind, Reg goes to the one person he can trust for advice... Jack Dawkins, The Artful Dodger himself.