The remarkable story of Cy Parks, master Coney Island tatooist, set amid the riotous, colourful world of the Edwardian amusement industry.

Beginning as a humble apprentice in Morecambe Bay, in the wake of his master, Riley's violent death, Cy flees to America, where he sets up his own business on the infamous Coney Island boardwalk. In this carnival environment of roller-coasters and freak shows, while the crest of the amusement industry wave is breaking, Cy becomes enamoured with Grace, a mysterious European immigrant and circus performer, who commissions him to cover her body entirely with tattooed eyes.