1325: England is a hotbed of paranoia under the reign of the increasingly unpredictable Edward II & his lover Sir Hugh le Despenser. When the Queens lady-in-waiting is slaughtered & a mans body hideously mutilated is discovered behind the throne the King demands to be avenged. Sir Baldwin de Furnshill an experienced investigator of murders is appointed to track down the killer aided by his friend Simon Puttock. In an age of corruption when the kings friends can use torture blackmail & murder to promote their ends a rural knight & bailiff must fight to stay alive.