Taking leave of his usual Chicago haunts, Archbishop John Blackwood Ryan travels to the south of Spain in his latest mystery. Ostensibly, Blackie is in Seville to attend a conference, but a far more critical assignment also requires his attention. The local cardinal has summoned the wily archbishop to Spain to prevent a murder. The threat of violence hangs over the regal palace of a family of wealthy Spanish aristocrats as Dona Teresa, a beautiful widow, finds herself beset by avaricious relatives determined to control her life and fortune. With three generations of passionate nobility under the same roof, it seems only a matter of time before pride, greed, and lust lead to bloodshed. And while the archbishop tries to avert a tragedy, dramatic events back in Chicago conspire to change his life forever.