When a mutilated corpse is found in a cranberry bog on the Dimola estate, Penelope Spring is summoned to the Cape by Zeb Grange, an old flame. But by the time she arrives, an attempt on Zeb's life has been made, leaving him in a coma. As Penny's suspicions gradually point to the wealthy Dimola clan, her colleague Toby Glendower begins to probe into the family's past in Italy.

There is another murder, and Penny resolves to set a trap for her prime suspect, using herself as bait. But what Toby uncovers sends him racing back, fearful that Penny is making a disastrous mistake--maybe her last.