Some memories - like that of a mysterious summer from his youth - Dave Robicheaux would rather forget. However, the confession of a dying man forces him to finally solve a long-standing mystery surrounding the disappearance of a woman. Back then, his half-brother Jimmie wanted to elope with Ida Durbin to Mexico, but on the day of their escape, she suddenly vanished. The search for the truth plunges Robicheaux into the intrigues of the wealthiest family in New Orleans. At the same time, he faces a completely different problem, as women are being kidnapped and brutally murdered in his district. He investigates both cases until he realizes that all the crimes are ominously interconnected.