With a triple murder on his hands, Sano's search for a killer leads to a clash of wills with Reiko, his headstrong wife.
September, 1693, and a cottage belonging to the Black Lotus Temple, spiritual centre for hundreds of Buddhist nuns, monks, priests and orphans, is burned to the ground, leaving three dead. Samuri-detective Sano Ichiro quickly discovers the victims did not die in the fire; they were brutally murdered before the fire began.
His investigation of the incident leads him to Haru, an orphan girl found at the scene of the crime. But Reiko, investigating the case against Sano's wishes, is convinced of her innocence. But will Reiko risk her marriage to Sano in order to prove Haru could not be the multiple murderer?