1643: England is descending into a bloodier Civil War, and Beaumont, born a nobleman's heir but with a shadowy past as a mercenary turncoat and spy, has been hired against his will as agent to the King's new Secretary of State, the manipulative Lord Digby. Beaumont is sent by Digby into enemy-held London to track down his counterpart, Parliament's twisted spymaster, who nourishes his own, very personal desire for revenge. At home, as his father's health weakens, Beaumont's duty is to choose a respectable wife and carry on the ancient line. Worse yet, a visitor from his mother's Spanish past appears with a long-buried secret that could ultimately destroy the Beaumont family.