Michele Ferrara, head of Florence's elite police force, knows that the beautiful surface of his adopted city hides dark undercurrents. And when a spate of brutal murders hits the city, his beliefs are confirmed. It seems that a deadly serial killer is at work and Ferrara, distrusted by his superiors and pilloried by the press, finds time running out as questions pile up. He doesn't understand what links the victims - but with sick, teasing notes arriving for him from the killer, he needs to solve the crime before he becomes the next victim.