Treason, heresy and revolt in Queen Elizabeth's England . . . The year
is 1600. With a dying queen on the throne, war raging on the high seas
and famine on the rise, England is on the brink of chaos. And in
London's dark alleyways, a conspiracy is brewing. In the court's
desperate bid to silence it, an innocent man is found guilty - the
father of Nicholas Shelby, physician and spy. As Nicholas races against
time to save his father, he and his wife Bianca are drawn into the
centre of a treacherous plot against the queen. When one of
Shakespeare's boy actors goes missing, and Bianca discovers a disturbing
painting that could be a clue, she embarks on her own investigation.
Meanwhile, as Nicholas comes closer to unveiling the real conspirator,
the men who wish to silence him are multiplying. When he stumbles on a
plan to overthrow the state and replace it with a terrifying new order,
he may be forced to make a decision between his country and his heart .
. .