1761, London. The famous magistrate John Fielding is to be honored with a knighthood by the new Queen at St James's Palace. As the invited audience eagerly crane for a first glimpse of the Queen, nobleman George Goward tumbles down the great staircase to his death. Of all those assembled, only Fielding, a blind man, suspects the fall to be more than an accident. He has only a few clues to offer to his friend, Apothecary John Rawlings, who sets out to investigate the untimely death.