Born in a brothel, Ruths harsh looks set her on a path of drudgery until she meets pugilist patron George Dryer and discovers her true calling -- fighting bare knuckles in Bristol's prize rings. Manor-born Charlotte is scarred by smallpox and trapped in power games with her wastrel brother. After a disastrous fight sidelines Ruth the two women meet, and it alters the perspectives of both of them.

A town paralyzed with fear, two children gone missing. Roger's most difficult case yet... April 1475. As Roger approaches the thriving village of Totnes, danger crackles in the air. A pack of cutthroats wanders the forest after a night of pillaging, and Roger barely manages to hide from them in the brush. He soon learns that the marauding band has been terrorizing the countryside for weeks. And worse, they are believed to be responsible for the disappearance...