As allied royalty gathers in London in June 1814 to celebrate Napoleon's defeat, Nicholas Hayes is found murdered after secretly returning from transportation in New South Wales. The disgraced nobleman was believed dead, and the young boy who travelled with him disappears before anyone can establish why Hayes came home.
Sebastian reconstructs the old conviction that sent Hayes to Botany Bay and the enemies who feared his return. The investigation moves through a city filled with royal visitors and public celebrations, revealing how an earlier murder, a disputed inheritance and the missing child's identity are connected.