In a small village at the foot of the Italian Dolomites the gardens of a deserted farmhouse have lain untouched for decades. The new owner, keen for renovations to begin, is summoned urgently to the house when the workmen disturb a macabre grave. Wild animals have done their grisly work and the human corpse is badly decomposed. Then a valuable signet ring is found close by providing the first vital clue. It leads Commissario Guido Brunetti right to the aristocratic heart of Venice, to a family still grieving for their abducted son. At first it seems that Brunetti has at least located the body but the final resolution to the tragedy is still beyiond his grasp. For Brunetti must learn the secrets of how the young man lived before he can discover why he died ...