Lady Emily and her husband, Colin Hargreaves, an agent to the Crown, retreat from Constantinople to his mother's estate in the Norman countryside, to soothe the open wounds left from their previous case. Emily's pursuit of the villain left her injured and she lost her unborn child. Emily expects time to grieve but instead stumbles on a mutilated, dead body of a young woman.

Emily discovers the woman was a French aristocrat whose family had committed her to an insane asylum. Probing into the young woman's dysfunctional family, Emily begins to question her own sanity when she hears a young girl crying and is unable to find her. She wonders if someone from the family is trying to divert her and push her into mental instability as she uncovers their secrets. The evidence points to a ruthless killer and as Emily gets closer, her life is put in jeopardy.

Historical mystery fans will adore the latest in Ms. Alexander's Lady Emily series. She takes past events from Lady Emily's and the murdered woman's family and reveals the power the past holds over the present. Family burdens and introspection into their complicated relationship make Emily and Colin's working relationship more difficult and easier for the killer to strike.