Set in 1814, 'Taboo' follows James Keziah Delaney, a man who has been to the ends of the earth and comes back changed and heavily rumored to be dead. He returns to London from Africa to inherit what is left of his father's shipping empire and seek vengeance. However, the legacy his father left him is a poisoned chalice, and with enemies lurking in every dark corner, James must navigate a dangerous game of politics, murder, and corporate greed involving the British Crown and the powerful East India Company. As James attempts to carve out a foothold for his new trade empire, dark secrets from his past are unmasked, and a complex web of conspiracy begins to unravel. Bound by forbidden incestuous ties with his half-sister Zilpha and possessing a formidable, almost supernatural aura of intimidation, Delaney plays off the Crown and the East India Company against each other while building his own league of outcasts, dockworkers, and thieves to achieve his mysterious ultimate goal.