1898. Enjoying the sunshine in the garden of her Cambridgeshire home, Vanessa Weatherburn is startled by the abrupt arrival of her long-time friend, the journalist Patrick O'Sullivan. Eager to discover the identity of a young woman found floating in the River Cam in order to get a scoop for the local newspaper, Pat has called on the one woman he is sure will be able to solve the mystery. Over recent years Vanessa has garnered a reputation for solving crimes - including murders, thefts and blackmail attempts - but never before has she been faced with the problem of identifying a victim, as well as a murderer.