Things are going well for Decius Caecilius Metellus. He is Praetor Peregrinus. His cases will be those dealing with foreigners, and all of Italy is his province. His first stop is Campania, Italy's most popular resort district. Decius and his wife, Julia, are happy for a change of scenery. But the good times end when, in a town near Vesuvius, a priest's daughter is murdered. Decius must find her killer and keep the mob off a young boy who everyone blames, but who he believes to be innocent. Decius may have acquired more prestige, but he's also acquired more trouble.