Newlyweds John and Emilia Rawlings are spending their honeymoon touring the mysterious county of Devon. The gruesome discovery of the body of a young girl, badly beaten and bruised draws the Apothecary into the investigation. Recognising the dead girl as the daughter of a Dutch merchant John realizes that he is deeply involved in something rather sinister - especially when the girl's brother, Richard, goes missing at the same time. Although he knows the identity of the dead girl, he is still no further towards finding her killer. Did her possessive father, furious with her for her wayward behavior murder her? Or is the father of her unborn child is to blame? Perhaps her fiancé, Tobias Wills, exacted a deadly revenge for the betrayal? John Rawlings is determined to find some answers...even if it means putting himself in danger.