It is the autumn of 1278. The harvest is in. The air is crisp. Dusty summer breathes a sigh before the dark seasons arrive. For Prioress Eleanor, dark times arrive early in Norfolk. Abbess Isabeau, the head of her order, has sent Father Etienne Davoir from its headquarters in France to inspect all aspects of Tyndall Priory from its morals to its roofs. Surely the Abbess would not have chosen her own brother for this rare and thorough investigation unless the cause was serious and she had reasons to fear intervention from Rome. Prioress Eleanor knows something is terribly amiss.