Fleeing the Inquisition, the great Giordano Bruno runs to England. In this country, where for a quarter of a century a Protestant queen has sat on the throne, the Catholic faith’s opposition is still strong. At the royal court, Bruno receives an assignment: to go to Oxford, the secret stronghold of Catholicism, and trace the threads of a conspiracy against the queen. There, in Oxford, the book he longs for—containing the key to unlocking the mysteries of the universe—is allegedly hidden as well. However, exposing the conspiracy and searching for the book are unexpectedly complicated by a series of mysterious murders occurring in this quiet university town—crimes Bruno sets out to investigate.