King Henry II's mistress, Rosamund, has been poisoned, and Adelia Aguilar, forensics expert, once again is charged by King Henry to find the murderer. But there is more at stake than the identity of a killer: civil war threatens to ravage an already war-sick England as Henry's Queen Eleanor rallies troops to depose him. As more savage killings ensue, Adelia works feverishly to save innocents and protect the peace.