Six months have passed since a personal tragedy in Lynley's life, and Havers is concerned that her partner is drowning (and drowning in) his sorrows. As Lynley struggles to come to terms with his grief, he's unexpectedly drawn back in to the 15-year-old unsolved abduction of his godson. A reconnaissance trip to Rome on behalf of the family ends in a second tragedy — with Lynley at its center. When Lynley is arrested for murder, he and Havers battle against time, the apparent facts of the case and an ambitious professional rival to clear his name and find the real perpetrator.