Peter Ainsley's mother, Lady Charlotte Marshall hasn't been seen or heard from in three days. While Inspector Simms of Scotland Yard is unofficially investigating her disappearance Ainsley is loathed to reveal knowledge of his mother's affair despite it being the best lead to her whereabouts. When Inspector Simms brings a body to St. Thomas Hospital's morgue, Ainsley is forced to admit his double life as morgue surgeon and second heir to the Montcliff earldom. With a new found ally in the police force, Ainsley gains access to information about his mother's disappearance and a new mystery regarding a murdered woman with childhood ties to his future sister-in-law, Evelyn Weatherall. Scandal threatening two sides of Ainsley's family, the young surgeon uncovers an intricately woven tapestry of deceit, lust and a crime that forces him to decide whether family loyalty supersedes the letter of the law.