A street robbery in Oxford ends with the fatal injury of the victim. Less than twenty four hours later, when the police investigation already appears to be on the verge of a successful conclusion, Superintendent Ifor Jenkins arrives from the Met with an unsolicited offer to assist with the case. The Senior Investigating Officer, DI Janet Kershaw, initially considers Jenkins' help to be unnecessary and even resents his presence. But, when subsequent events turn what she previously perceived to be a straightforward investigation into something far more complex, her attitude begins to change. It is obvious from the beginning that Jenkins knows rather more about the background to the case than he is prepared to disclose. And he is clearly able to call upon some well connected sources to help advance the investigation. However, after learning more about the robbery victim and encountering several unlikely coincidences, even he is forced to reconsider his initial assumptions. Eventually, unlikely though it may seem, there is only one possible conclusion to be drawn. The motivation for the street robbery has its roots in events that took place in a village in northern France, more than three hundred years ago; events with implications that have echoed through the generations all the way down to the present day.