In 1358, Michaelhouse sends a delegation to York to claim a parish left to the college by the late archbishop. The legacy promises badly needed income, but rival claimants dispute the grant and the crucial codicil cannot be found.
Matthew Bartholomew and Brother Michael arrive in a prosperous city unsettled by merchant wealth and the threat of French attack. Several of the archbishop's executors have died in suspicious circumstances, and the visitors must determine whether the missing document is the cause of the murders or evidence of a larger scheme.