Venice in the early morning is a picture of tranquility…until the serenity is shattered by the gruesome discovery of a body floating in the canal.

Commissario Guido Brunetti resists pressure from his politically motivated superior to wrap up the case in a tourist-friendly package, probing deeper into the unlikely circumstances of the American's death. Brunetti's thoughtful deliberations land him knee-deep in a toxic waste cover-up controlled by three of the most influential powers in the world: the Italian government, the U.S. Army, and the Mafia. Under their watchful eyes, Brunetti must decide how far he can go to right a global wrong—and if he can stay alive doing it.