In the catacombs below the temple of Astarte in Carthage, Cressida (formerly known as Vicki) tells a story to a listener who hungers for warmth Vicki recalls a journey in which the TARDIS landed on the frozeабэьсn River Thames, during the frost fair of 1814 The frost fair contains many entertainments and wonders, but none as astonishing and chilling as the egg of the phoenix, brought from Tunis Both Vicki and Georgiana (wife of Sir Joseph Mallard, Deputy Warden of the Royal авсйчMint) are captivated by the cold fire associated with the phoenix's egg, which is stolen during an altercation in the fair The travellers meet the novelist Jane Austen, and accompany her to a dinner party at Sir Joseph's home However, the dinner party is interrupted by the growing cold and the dramatic disappearance of Georgiana.