London, 1592. Twenty-eight-year-old William Shakespeare is the rising man of English theater. But plague has hit the capital, and the playhouses are to be shut. Livelihoods, and lives, are at stake.



Lady Celia Vernon is one of the first to perish but did she really die of plague? Her cousin, the Earl of Southampton, orders Will to discover the truth in a London filled with conspirators, cutthroats, and traitors.



The Queen's spymaster, Robert Cecil, suspects the Earl of treason and orders Will to spy on him in return. Caught between two of the most powerful men in the kingdom, Will cannot possibly serve both masters, and could easily become the next victim of the killer he is trying to catch.



With his future, safety, and life on the line, Will uncovers a devastating secret, and changes the course of his—and the world's—destiny forever.



An utterly compelling historical mystery offering a new and fascinating look into the personal life of the great William Shakespeare.