Thomas Finbow, keen-eyed falconer to Sir Robert Vicary of Petbury Manor, confronts the most terrible adversary he has ever faced.

Thomas’s master Sir Robert is charged by Queen Elizabeth’s Council to host an important guest to help valuable trade relations: Grigori Stanic, ambassador of distant Muscovy, in Russia.

Not only will Thomas entertain Stanic’s party, His Excellency being a keen hawking man – he must also guard a priceless gift for Boris Godunov, the most important man at the Tsar’s Court: a magnificent gold chain with jewelled pendant.

But no sooner has it arrived at Petbury than it is stolen, risking a disastrous diplomatic incident.

As the desperate hunt for the Muscovy Chain begins, a shadowy figure is seen on the Downs, sowing fear in the community. Is he the thief – or worse, is he responsible for a murder, the victim having been brutally tortured?

The cause of the Chain’s disappearance, however, turns out to be more than one of mere theft, when bitter secrets emerge among Stanic’s divided followers.

But for Thomas the finding of the precious gift is not the end. This time he meets his match – and faces his possible death.