London. Spring 1943. While Europe continues to suffer under the iron fist of Nazi occupation, Britain remains battered but unbowed. DCI Frank Merlin, already contending with a booming wartime crime wave in the capital, is confronted with a baffling case: the brutal murder of a respected doctor. Following a puzzling trail that leads him into the hidden corners of clubland and which appears to be linked to the disappearance of both British and American officers, Merlin must untangle a dark web of shocking secrets.