England, XIII century. The novel takes place in the city of Exeter and its environs. The country has just introduced the institution of coronerism. The main character is John de Wolfe, a coroner, a participant in the crusades, from the last of which King Richard the Lionheart did not return. During a storm, a ship was wrecked and the bodies of dead sailors washed ashore. And it became known that not all of them drowned. Subsequent events are just as dramatic: the daughter of a respected man in the city is raped, and the corpse of a noble lady is found in a heap of garbage. As a result of a long search, Sir John finds the key to the solution...