It is the autumn of 1434, Joliffe and his fellow players are thriving under the patronage of Lord Lovell. His grace is sending them to perform at Deneby Manor as a gift for the marriage of Sir Edmund Deneby's daughter, Mariena. 
But Joliffe has been engaged to play two roles - that of a player and that of a spy. Deneby's daughter was betrothed once before, to a man who fell ill and died before they married, and Lord Lovell fears a similar fate will befall Mariena's newly intended. As Joliffe uncovers the secrets of the Denebys' sordid history, it becomes clear that this is a wedding celebration destined to end in tragedy...