When there is an unexplained death at a cricket ground in Leicester, Rita Patel, who knew the victim, determines to investigate. Rita, in her first year at university, involves her friends and family in her inquiries, and suffers personal setbacks, getting herself into trouble with the police and into personal danger. Rita's exploits are set against a multicultural background and her interest in history. This leads her to locations associated with the Earl of Leicester, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, as well as events during the Wars of the Roses, and the reburial of King Richard III.