London, 1815. Amateur sleuth Atlas Catesby is about to discover the dark side of the bright lights. His night at the opera with Lady Lilliana ends abruptly when a notorious courtesan is shot to death in Covent Garden. The infamous victim was the mistress of a Marquess. Atlas believes that this marquess - his former brother in law - is responsible for the long-ago death of Atlas's sister, Phoebe and seizes the opportunity to avenge his sister's death. Plunging into the cutthroat backstage life of the theatre community Atlas discovers that professional rivalries can set the stage for murder.