Autumn, 1897. Rose McQuinn has lost the love of her ambitious fiance, Jack Macmerry, and now it seems she is to lose her elusive deerhound as well. Hubert Staines claims his fatally ill stepdaughter is Thane's rightful owner, and Rose cannot refuse to return him. But when she arrives at the family home near Alnwick Castle in Northumberland, it soon becomes clear that Hubert has a hidden agenda. The family's tragic history unfolds, revealing dark secrets that haunt those involved and a series of suspicious deaths. And in a bizarre and unexpected climax, Rose finds herself a likely candidate as the murderer's next victim...