Stifled by his turbulent provincial family and repressive schooling, Philip Devalle yearns for the power and excitement of life at the court of King Charles II. Escaping to the pleasures and perils of Restoration London, he soon discovers that the glamour of courtly life is not all it seems.

The frivolous façade conceals a sinister reality of subterfuge and corruption. Philip finds himself plunged into a world where amorous alliances and dalliances are more than matched by lusts of a different kind-for power, for survival, for bloodshed.

As Philip rises to prominence and becomes increasingly involved in the machinations of political intrigue, he learns to negotiate a tangled web of potent loves and powerful friends.

But he also learns that love and loyalty can come at a lethally high price . . .

The first instalment of a two-part novel.