A woman's body is recovered from the Tiber after a wealthy group of travellers passes through Rome. Albia takes an interest because the victim is also British and bears evidence of deliberate violence that the authorities are reluctant to pursue.
The death occurs as a criminal organisation fragments after its leader's death. Rival relatives and associates compete for control, and Albia discovers that one participant is an adversary from her own past, making it difficult to separate justice from revenge.