York, March 1377. Taverner Tom Merchet has been missing for five days, leaving his wife Bess desperate for news. Owen Archer learns that Tom was visiting an elusive widow and had been followed by an unknown man shortly before he vanished.
When Bess enters the widow's lodgings and makes a frightening discovery, Owen begins to investigate episodes from Tom's past that his friend has never discussed. The search exposes old offences, concealed identities and a calculated desire for retribution, culminating in a confession that changes Owen's understanding of a man he believed he knew completely.