1592: Lady Elizabeth Widdrington is living quietly at home, running Sir Henry's estates, when a young and pregnant friend of hers suddenly arrives on an exhausted pony, utterly distraught.

Her husband - Minister Jamie Burn - has been murdered and Poppy Burn herself has been terribly assaulted by the murderers. While Poppy recovers at Widdrington, Elizabeth decides to travel to the Minister's village, just over the Border in Scotland. She wants to make sure that the Minister gets a proper funeral and if possible find out who were the murderers.

She finds herself butting heads once again with the vicious and corrupt Lord Spynie, King James VI's Favourite, as well as trying to protect the boys who attended the Minister's little school.

Then she realises that her husband may be plotting her death.