Set amid the aromatic sea and forest of Vigo, Spain, this captivating thriller opens with the discovery of a young saxophonist found murdered in his posh, beachside apartment. An unusually cruel murder, the body is found tied by the wrists to the bed's headboard, with two glasses of whiskey nearby, and bearing hideous burns across its midsection. The disheartened police inspector assigned to the mysterious case, Leo Caldas, stealthily moves his investigation between the inviting jazz clubs and the affected atmosphere of the upper crust, all whilst on the look out for a more headily desired object-a sense of meaning and purpose in his life.

One misty autumn dawn in a quiet fishing port in northwest Spain, the body of a sailor washes up in the harbour. Detective Inspector Leo Caldas is called in from police headquarters in the nearby city of Vigo to sign off on what appears to be a suicide. But details soon come to light that turn this routine matter into a complex murder investigation. Finding out the truth is not easy when the villagers are so suspicious of outsiders. As Caldas delves into the maritime life of the village, he uncovers a disturbing decade-old case of a shipwreck and two mysterious disappearances.

A filla do doutor Andrade vive nuna casa pintada de azul, nun lugar onde as praias de ondas mansas contrastan co balbordo da outra beira. Alí, as mariscadoras traballan na area, os mariñeiros guindan os aparellos á auga e os que van traballar á cidade agardan no peirao a chegada do barco que cruza cada media hora a ría de Vigo. Unha mañá de outono, mentres a costa galega se recupera dos estragos dun temporal, o inspector Caldas recibe a visita dun home alarmado pola ausencia da súa filla, que non se presentou a unha comida familiar na fin de semana nin acudiu o luns a impartir a súa clase de cerámica na Escola de Artes e Oficios. E aínda que nada pareza ter alterado a casa nin a vida de Mónica Andrade, Leo Caldas axiña comprobará que, na vida coma no mar, a máis apracible das superficies pode agochar un fondo escuro de devastadoras correntes.