1945. For many in London, the peace feels harder than the war. Years of devastating Luftwaffe bombing have obliterated stretches of the city. Against this backdrop, psychologist-investigator Maisie Dobbs is drawn into the plight of a group of young squatters at a Belgravia mansion. Maisie's attempt to help them brings to light a decades-old mystery concerning her first husband who was killed while flying an experimental fighter aircraft. The deeply personal investigation also leads her to a ghostly figure who is grappling with the weight of his conscience and the part he played during the war.

This final instalment in the internationally bestselling series will challenge so much of what Maisie understands about her life and forces her to question what she has always accepted to be true.