When the body of a young girl is pulled from the Thames, blind magistrate Sir John Fielding's investigation leads his protégé, Jeremy Proctor, into the notorious Seven Dials section of London. There the sordid inclinations of both the working class and aristocracy may be found--and there, Jeremy learns that the girl's mother has disappeared near the racetrack. As he delves further into the mystery, he will begin to realize just how high the stakes are, and--when an acquaintance of his own suddenly vanishes--just how terribly steep the odds really are.