The year is 1817. Since Augustus Killmaster's death, James Hammond has grown optimistic about his prospects at the Nottingham General Hospital, but he worries about Walter Ewebank, a prominent board member who grieves for his friend. Since Ewebank unearthed Killmaster's empty coffin, a maggot has burrowed into his brain and will not let him rest. It feeds his anger; it fuels his discontent and only one action—revenge—will satisfy it. Meanwhile, the youth Jack Pegg continues working with Macreadie to dig up the dead and ship the bodies to Edinburgh. Pegg spends his idle hours watching the foot traffic near St. Peter's Square. He has come north for a very particular reason and is only waiting for the sign that will change his life. Miss Hannah Freestone has come to realize that she has fallen in love with the handsome James Hammond, but she sees an enormous barrier to her happiness. Can she bury her past and return Hammond's affection or will remain unmarried?