Tensions in Elizabeth I's government are at breaking point. Within days the axe could fall on the neck of Mary Queen of Scots, and Spain is already gathering a battle fleet to avenge her. When a plot to assassinate Francis Drake is uncovered, John Shakespeare is ordered to protect him: if Drake dies, the country will be open to invasion. In a London rife with rumour, Shakespeare must decide which leads to follow. But when the mutilated body of a high-born young woman is found, he has no option but to investigate.