Maisie Dobbs' old friend, tycoon James Compton, asks her to investigate a series of arson attacks that have become a real disaster in a quiet Kentish village. Local residents habitually blame the gypsies for everything. And Maisie, during the investigation, learns that an entire family died here during the war, and begins to suspect: the arson is connected precisely with this... The mysterious death of a homeless man on the street, the poisoning of dogs in an animal shelter and letters from a terrorist threatening to destroy the British government if it will not improve the living conditions of military veterans. What might these events have in common? However, there is certainly a connection, and Macy Dobbs, who joined the investigation, intends to establish it before a new crime occurs...