The Curious Affair at the Arkwright Club

A young lawyer is thrilled when a spot opens in the membership of a renowned wine club. He soon learns that the Arkwright Club has a secret: When the corks are removed from empty wine bottles, the wine cellar can travel in time to where and when the wine was produced. The club's corkmaster takes the would-be member to 1970s France, where they acquire some very rare vintages that were common then.

Later, the lawyer is elected into the club. He meets the elderly Colonel Thrip, who invites him to dinner on the pretense of seeking legal advice. Thrip actually wants to warn him against membership. Long ago, the current corkmaster's predecessor struck a bargain with the devil to run the world's most successful wine club. The current corkmaster has been collecting souls to fulfill the bargain. The Colonel is ashamed at everyone he could have saved, but didn't.

The lawyer realizes they must consult the corkmaster's ledger to know who they can trust, but he is caught in the wine cellar doing just that. Failing to entice him with promises of riches, the corkmaster says he is taking the lawyer on a one-way time hop. Colonel Thrip gathers the courage to intervene and stop the plan. They both soon see, to their horror, that the corkmaster planned to send the Jewish attorney back to wartime Germany.