Christmas Eve, 1194. Sir John de Wolfe gratefully escapes his wife Matilda's party to examine the body of a canon who has been found hanged. Suicide is suspected, but it is soon apparent there's more to this case than meets the eye. As always, John's investigations are hampered by his brother-in-law, Sheriff Richard de Revelle. But when a local lord is killed, John begins to suspect the cases are linked and that Sir Richard's reasons for delaying the investigation may be more serious than his usual acts of petty vengeance. Desperately trying to deflect Sir Richard's plots against him, John is soon at loggerheads with Matilda and even his mistress Nesta. But as he digs deeper, he uncovers a deadly conspiracy that could cost him far more than the women in his life ...