In 1204, with the Fourth Crusade besieging the walls of Constantinople, a minor death may hold the key to the Empire's survival. The Fourth Crusade has shown up outside the gates of Constantinople. Instead of freeing the Holy Land, the city is now their target. Theophilos the Jester and his compatriots within the city are faced with catastrophe and the death of a silk merchant in the Venetian quarter seems insignificant. But if the merchant was not what he appeared to be and if Constantinople is to have any hope, the Jester must solve the crime.