Brother Michael is preparing to leave his university office for a bishopric when Chancellor Tynkell is murdered. Suspects include a privileged criminal protected by royal connections, a corrupt mason and enemies within Cambridge's competing institutions.
Matthew Bartholomew is already troubled by the sudden decline of several patients, but the chancellor's death draws him into Michael's investigation. The two cases begin to intersect, exposing a scheme that exploits superstition, political influence and building contracts while threatening both the university and the wider town.