Bullen Hall, a stately home in rural Norfolk where Anne Boleyn spent her childhood, is desperately in need of repair and extra funding. A new curator, Chad Shelden, is brought in to do the job, and to write the biography of Laz Appleyard, a hero in the Hungarian fight against communism and ancestor of the current residents of the hall. But, shortly after his arrival, the young, romantic and artistic Shelden is found dead in the moat, apparently having fallen from the roof before being attacked by eels in the water. No one suspects murder - at least not until the results of the autopsy come in. Fleeting passions, incest, present conflicts and family reputations are all compelling motives -- but are they enough to drive anyone to murder someone they've just met? It's up to Detective Inspector Ben Jurnet to unravel the truth from among the dark stories surrounding Bullen Hall.