Jim Wolf is abandoned in a Naples back street by a taxi driver. This is not what he came to the city for. But he's soon found by Louisa - an ex-lover never quite forgotten - now married to a charismatic Neapolitan judge. The three become close friends, and it's not long before Jim is closely involved in a high profile-mafia trial and once again irresistibly tempted by Louisa.

Jim is soon out of his depth, seduced by both the beauty and danger of this mysterious city, where betrayal - of a lover, of a friend, of oneself - is part of the way of life, and where, if you break the unspoken codes, a single gesture from a powerful man can condemn you.