Edward Fosca is a murderer.
Mariana is certain of it. But no one can touch him. Handsome and charismatic, Fosca teaches ancient tragedy at Cambridge University and is adored by both staff and students - especially by the members of a closed group of favored female students, known as The Maidens.
Mariana is a brilliant but troubled psychologist who becomes obsessed with The Maidens when one of their members - a friend of her niece, Zoe - is found murdered in Cambridge.
Having been a student at this university herself in the past, she soon suspects that behind the idyllic beauty of the medieval buildings and ancient traditions, something menacing is lurking. And she is convinced that, despite his alibi, Edward Fosca is guilty of the murder.
But why would he target one of his students?
And how does his obsession with the Eleusinian Mysteries and Persephone's journey - The Maiden - to the Underworld fit in?
When another body is discovered, Mariana's obsession with proving Fosca's guilt spirals out of control, threatening to destroy both her credibility and her closest relationships. But she is determined to stop this killer, even if it costs her everything.