After their grueling journeys to Galicia and Scilly, Simon Puttock and Baldwin Furnshill are at last back on the English mainland, dumped unceremoniously when their shipmaster partakes of his intoxicating cargo and almost sinks the ship. Eager to get home, Baldwin and Simon set off on horseback, but they only get as far as Cardinham Castle on Bodmin Moor. Here, they are detained by the castellan who requires their help in solving two murders on the estate. The first victim is a widow, found dead with her two children. The second is the miller, who has recently been discovered embezzling castle money taken in tolls. As Baldwin and Simon begin a double investigation, they must delve deep into village friendships and family loyalties to find Cardinham’s evil killer.