Dracula begins with a young solicitor, Jonathan Harker, on his way to Transylvania to meet Count Dracula, who is buying property in London. Harker endures a nightmarish stay at Dracula's castle, which foreshadows some bizarre events in England. A huge wolf-like creature is seen to leap from the deck of a Russian ship which has run aground on the shores of Whitby. Lucy - a friend of Harker's fiancee, Mina - develops a strange wasting disease and red marks on her throat. And a local lunatic is behaving even more oddly than usual. Critically praised upon release, Stoker's novel was not initially a bestseller. It is now, however, revered as a classic, having introduced an enigmatic figure that still haunts popular culture today.