England, 1598. Queen Elizabeth's successor remains unnamed. The country teeters on a knife edge.When a young heiress is found murdered at the theatre, the Queen's spymaster Robert Cecil calls upon former agent Sophia de Wolfe to investigate.A cryptic note found on the dead girl's body connects to Sophia's previous life as a spy, and her quest soon takes her into dangerous waters.

Powerful enemies emerge, among them the Earl of Essex: the Queen's favourite courtier and a man of ruthless ambition.This is a murder that reaches directly into the heart of the court. And Sophia is concealing a deep-buried secret of her own. She must uncover the truth before her past threatens to destroy her.