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

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.