February 1938. Maisie Dobbs has returned to England from war-torn Spain. On a fine yet chilly morning, as she walks toward Fitzroy Square, she is intercepted by the Secret Service. The German government has agreed to release an important British subject from prison, but only if he is handed over to a family member. Because the man's daughter is gravely ill and his wife deceased, the Secret Service need a first-class female agent to present herself in the guise of his daughter at Dachau, on the outskirts of Munich. They want Maisie to bring home a man crucial to Britain's war plans.
The British government is not alone in its interest in Maisie's journey to Munich. Her nemesis?the man she holds responsible for her husband's death?has learned of her journey, and is desperate for help of a more personal nature.
Traveling into the heart of Nazi Germany, Maisie encounters unexpected dangers?and finds herself questioning whether it's time to return to the work she loved. But the Secret Service may have other ideas. . . .
