For Falco a relaxed visit to Helena's relatives in Britain turns serious at the scene of a downtown murder. The renegade henchman of Rome's vital ally King Togidubnus has been stuffed head-first down a bar-room well
- leading to a tricky diplomatic situation which Falco must diffuse. One murder leads to others. Londinium now has a forum & an amphitheatre; the town is a magnet for legitimate traders
- & for criminals from Rome. Drinking dens are plundered by extortionists; prostitution reigns in the dark streets; the army turns a blind eye. With his vigiles pal Petronius Falco leads the hunt for gangsters who are intent on taking over. This will bring unwelcome encounters with faces from the past & grave threats to their present relationships. Danger & death lurk throughout their pursuit all the way from the brand new wharves beside the River Thamesis to the familiar old haunts of organised crime back home in Italy.