When Argolicus leaves Rome to retire to his estate in southern Italy, his powerful friend Boethius asks a small favor. Before he sets sail to the south, deliver a book to a young man in Ostia near the port at the mouth of the Tiber river.
When Argolicus arrives in the dying resort town, he finds chaos and sorrow in the villa. The young book lover’s father has been viciously murdered just hours before and the young man asks for help.
With just days to find the killer before his ship leaves port, Argolicus must probe the politics of the dying town. But with every investigation he makes, the circle of possibilities grows. Success seems out of reach and he must disappoint the family, until a ruffian accosts him and pieces fall into place.
