It's not bad enough that Halvar is stuck in Manatas while Don Felipe is off exploring the New World. Now he's got a dead ship captain on his hands, a nobleman and his virago wife complaining about their living accommodations, and an enemy from his past who claims to be just passing through. The bodies, though, seem to keep piling up, while the clues continue to be elusive. There's something rotten going on, but finding out exactly what it is and whose killing people is turning out to be tougher than any job he's had so far.