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The series begins with a hypnotic induction, inviting you deep inside your head. Then-- a man and woman bury their cat in a Baltimore cemetery, while they gossip about Edgar Poe who lies dying in a nearby hospital. In his delirium, Poe mingles the sounds of the hospital with his own phantasms, dreaming the attending doctor and nurse are gods who may yet save his life. This episode includes Poe’s poem “A Dream Within a Dream.”

While mourning at his wife Virginia’s grave, Poe has an encounter with the Moon goddess in the form of his own literary creation, Ligeia. He’s also accosted by a deranged fan. This episode includes Poe’s poems “The Lake” and “The Sleeper.”

Poe and Ligeia begin a journey to the ends of the Earth-- but he is stalked by the deranged fan and mocked by his inner demon. At the same time, he goes in and out of consciousness in his hospital room and the two realms intertwine. This episode includes Poe’s poem “The Haunted Palace.”

A sudden turn of events in the hospital bleeds into Poe’s hallucination of the surreal journey. Then his own Imp of the Perverse takes command, forcing Poe to confess a guilty secret. This episode includes Poe’s poems “To Helen” and “To One in Paradise.”

In a dreamlike scene, a midnight visitor comes tapping at Poe’s chamber door. Poe relives the illness and tragic death of his young wife Virginia. Finally he reveals the vow he made to her on her deathbed, which has tormented him ever since. This episode includes Poe’s poem “A Dream.”

The Imp mocks Poe’s dream of an afterlife and dares him to prove his claim that dreams are the only realities. Poe sinks into a reverie and becomes lost inside a nightmare, where he encounters another monster from his writings. This episode includes Poe’s poem “Dream-Land.”

In the library of an old decaying mansion, Poe awakens into a nightmare, haunted by Virginia's ghost. He comes to himself in the hospital, as his Nurse tries to rescue him from the Doctor’s evil plan. This episode includes Poe’s poem “The Valley of Unrest.”

Poe and Ligeia finally reach the Antarctic Pole, and see approaching, the one who has been stalking them. The Nurse grapples with an intruder in Poe’s hospital room. The Doctor reveals his true intentions to Poe, and compels him to undertake a final quest. This episode includes Poe’s poem “Alone.”

Poe ventures into the ice cave, seeing many secret things. There he meets his doom... but more experiences await him beyond Death. This episode includes Poe’s poems “The Conqueror Worm” excerpts, “The City in the Sea” and “Spirits of the Dead.”

After his death, Virginia’s spirit receives Edgar Poe’s confused soul. She tries to help him regain his sense of self, through remembering their lives together and his final days on Earth. He begins to recollect it all, including the mystery and terror of dying. Enthralled by the experience, he loses touch with her and winds up back in the graveyard as a ghost of Sorrow, haunting her grave forever. All this is portrayed in one long art song.