Christmas Eve, 1194. Sir John de Wolfe gratefully escapes his wife Matilda's party to examine the body of a canon who has been found hanged. Suicide is suspected, but it's soon apparent there is more to this case than meets the eye. As always, John's investigations are hampered by his brother-in-law, Sheriff Richard de Revelle. But when a local lord is killed, John begins to suspect the cases may be linked and Sir Richard's reasons for delaying the investigation might be more serious than the usual petty vengeance.

Desperately trying to deflect Sir Richard's plots against him, John is soon at loggerheads with Matilda, and even his mistress Nesta. But as he digs deeper, he discovers a deadly conspiracy that could cost him far more than the women in his life...