When a young woman is found murdered in an old London cemetery, Inspector Thomas Linley is forced to cut short his indefinite leave and return to Scotland Yard. The team of detectives who has worked with him for many years doesn’t trust its new boss—an arrogant and ambitious Isabella Ardery, who can’t find a common language with the subordinates. From the very beginning, investigating this murder is difficult, because any facts that contradict Ardery’s version are rejected, and the detectives’ personal initiative is suppressed. Especially suffering from this is Sergeant Barbara Havers, who, as always, has her own version. She is convinced that the killer’s trail needs to be sought in the British reserve New Forest, from where the murdered woman came to London. Barbara doesn’t even suspect that soon, together with Linley, they will uncover a terrible secret that will shock many…