Travel to Paris, 1790-where a well-executed meal may linger in the memory, but murder is forever.

Fanny Delarue is a young cook for a wealthy family in the Place Royale. In her heart, she is keeping two fires burning-for food, and for her head chef, Henri. Together they feed the household, above stairs and below, and take lessons from Henri's mentor, Etienne de la Porte, chef to a neighboring household.

At the same time, Fanny's trying to ignore the political heat that is building all around her. Chefs need to prove that food and cuisine can promote man's equality instead of reinforcing old class divisions, at the risk of losing their jobs...and perhaps their heads. Tempers flare and nerves are strained, until one day, Etienne is found dead under suspicious circumstances. Who would murder a cook? The Place Royale is in tumult, and Fanny must solve the crime before the flames converge on her hopes for her own future.