Returning to Ireland, Fidelma learns that Eadulf has been convicted of murder at the abbey of Fearna in Laigin and is awaiting execution. The evidence appears decisive, and Abbess Fainder is determined that the sentence should stand. Fidelma travels into a kingdom traditionally hostile to Muman to appeal the judgment and reopen the inquiry.
Her personal commitment to the accused makes every decision vulnerable to challenge, while the abbey's internal politics and Laigin's legal procedures restrict her freedom to act. To save Eadulf, Fidelma must prove not merely that the original case was flawed but who committed the murder and why the authorities were willing to accept the wrong man.