Sylvia Fox goes to Umbria for the wedding of her niece, Alice. But the groom, Tommaso, disappears, leaving a woman's body in the lake at the bottom of his garden.

When Sasha Pavlenko, the son of a Russian politician is arrested in Rome for the murder of a fellow-student, Sylvia's ex-husband and ex-colleague Adam asks her to investigate.

A pillar of the local community is found dead at the charity he runs, and Antonella's friend is arrested for his murder. Trying to clear the woman's name, Sylvia follows a trail of blackmail, family secrets, and illicit love.

Sylvia helps out on an archaeological dig at the Castello di Monterosa, and finds a skeleton buried in a shallow grave. The locals are convinced it's that of a teenage girl who disappeared 25 years ago.

Sylvia goes undercover at a lakeside villa, solving a murder and confronting a figure from her past.

Sylvia is abducted, and fights for her own survival while Riva and her family race to find her.