Lord Westfield's Men are split down the middle: should they scorn the belligerent and sacrilegious playwright Jonas Applegarth or perform his brilliant play The Misfortunes of Marriage? When they decide to receive Applegarth, they unwittingly receive all of his enemies with him. Actors, critics, and especially The Blackfriars, a rival troupe, are so scathingly portrayed in The Misfortunes of Marriage that revenge seems near. When gruesome hangings plague both of the troupes, some speculate it is God's wrath for the immorality of the theater. But Nick Bracewell has heard the cackle of the Laughing Hangman and knows the killer is closer to them than they think.