Lacey Papparin, a law school dropout turned private investigator, is on assignment in Lisbon when she stumbles into a mystery involving the murder of a fourteenth century noblewoman depicted in a work of art that has disappeared along with a man claiming to be its owner. Working with the disappeared man's daughter, Lacey must study the secrets of Portugal's traditional azulejo art form while dodging sinister forces bent on preventing her from uncovering the truth. With the dramatic romance of King Pedro I of Portugal and his murdered mistress Inês de Castro as backdrop, delves into Portuguese history, culture, art, and cuisine while spinning the complex web of a contemporary murder mystery.