Though he is one of 14th-century England's most acclaimed intellectuals, John Gower is no stranger to London's slums, so when the bodies of 16 unknown men are found in a privy, the sheriff of London seeks Gower's help. In this sequel to A Burnable Book, Gower believes the men may have fallen victim to a fearsome new weapon called the "handgonne", claiming it will be the "future of death" if its design can be perfected. Gower turns to courtier and civil servant Geoffrey Chaucer, who is working on some risqué poems about pilgrims. Chaucer thinks he just may know who commissioned the weapon, an extremely valuable piece of information that some will pay a high price for, and others will kill to conceal.