Lord Hugh de Courtenay's plan to host a tournament in the spring of 1322 is an opportunity the money-lenders of Oakhampton can't afford to miss. When the defeated knights find themselves unable to pay the traditional ransoms to their captors, they will have only one avenue open to them - and will accrue interest by the hour. But for Benjamin Dudenay - to whom most of the knights of Devon are endebted - the tournament will yeild no such riches. A month before the festivities, he is found dead in an alleyway - beaten to death in an attack which tells a tale of bitter hatred.

For Sir Baldwin Furnshill, Keeper of the King's peace, and his friend, Bailiff Simon Puttock, the priority is to complete the preparations for the tournament in time for Lord Hugh's arrival. Not an easy task when Hal Sachevyll and Wymond Carpenter, commissioned to provide the allimportant stands, seem even more interested in saving on materials then building a safe structure.

But when Wymond is found dead, his injuries bearing all the hallmarks of those inflicted by Benjamin's murderer, Sir Baldwin and Simon are faced with an additional problem: whoever killed the money-lender is not simply a debtor desperate to gain financial freedom, but a killer with a far greater and more sinister plan...