In a strange room in Morocco, Mary Russell is trying to solve a pressing mystery: Who am I? She has awakened with shadows in her mind, blood on her hands, and soldiers pounding at the door. Meanwhile, Holmes is pulled by two old friends, and a distant relation into the growing war between France, Spain, and the Rif Revolt led by Emir Abd el-Krim - who could be a Robin Hood, or a power-mad tribesman. The shadows of war are drawing over the ancient city of Fez, and Holmes badly wants the wisdom and courage of his wife, whom he discovers, to his horror, has gone missing.