In a prehistoric stone circle in the middle of Derbyshire moorlands, the bodies of a young man and a young woman—victims of a violent death—are found. The investigation is assigned to Inspector Thomas Linley. This case promises to become one of the most difficult of his career, because among the suspects is the girl’s father, a former employee of the Secret Service of Scotland Yard and Linley’s former mentor—someone he once completely trusted. Barbara Havers, working in London with one of the versions, begins collecting information about the second victim, and these inquiries lead her to utterly astonishing results.