When investigator of historical mysteries Jess Trevanion is presented with a painting of a beautiful woman, and asked to identify who it depicts, she jumps at the chance to take her mind off things. Her relationship with Tom Peters isn't all smooth sailing at the moment - and the painting's handsome owner, Captain Harry Carveth, is a welcome distraction himself. The painting has been hidden in the Carveth family home for over a hundred years - but why? Jess's research takes her back to the tumult of nineteenth-century Europe...

Meanwhile, Jess's friend Mor is gearing up for her wedding to partner Ben - a happy occasion for the village of Polvellan. But just when things might be on the up, one of Jess's loved ones is rushed into hospital...