Pru and Knighton stumble upon murder on their way to the triple falls on Italy's Velino river when one of their fellow travelers is shot and thrown into a ravine. The rumor soon spreads that local banditos killed the woman when she foolishly went for a walk at night. A robbery gone awry, they say, although she was still wearing valuable jewelry when she was found. Knighton is not convinced, but he is happy to leave the case in the hands of the local authorities. This is not England, and he and Pru are on their honeymoon. Then Pru disappears. The leader of the banditos claims he has her and will not release her until Knighton proves he is innocent of the murder. Knighton now has no choice. Caught between the banditos and the authorities, he questions the members of their party. They are not the strangers to one another they claimed, and he soon discovers they each have their own motive for wanting the woman dead and the banditos blamed. Working against time, Knighton searches to uncover the deadly secret behind the gruesome murder before the only woman he has ever loved, dies.