It is December of the year A.D. 1159. Deputy Justiciar William the Scribbler is about to confront all manners of tribulations: inadequate government records; an illegal land grant; weasels; an unclaimed fief; marriage; a missing heiress; an insurrection at a convent; murder; catching a cold; knavery at the highest levels; strange old laws; and a dog show. He must decipher which are independent, and which interconnect. Things go well for awhile, but it takes the better part of twelve months to resolve everything, and William is uncomfortable with the final result. He manages to deal with it to his wife's satisfaction.