During the wet winter of 1353, fever is spreading among Cambridge's poor and tensions between the town, Church and university are becoming increasingly dangerous. Three university men die after drinking poisoned wine, bringing Matthew Bartholomew and Brother Michael into a case that appears to cross college boundaries.
Their enquiries uncover illicit trade, financial rivalry and personal grudges among people close to Michaelhouse. With public anger rising and Bartholomew's own friends and relatives implicated, the pair must identify who prepared the fatal drink before accusation and retaliation push Cambridge into open violence.