At the end of the 14th century, York is preparing for civil war, with Henry of Lancaster and King Richard III on a collision course. After her husband dies mysteriously, Eleanor Clifford's abrupt return to York is met with suspicion, and even her daughter, Kate, keeps her distance. In this sequel to The Service of the Dead, when one of the young women in Kate's charge is attacked by an intruder, Kate must draw her mother out of her silence to solve a mystery that is more momentous than she ever could have believed.