Gamache earns the displeasure of General Director Francoeur when he ignores his superior’s orders and begins investigating the disappearance of Blue Two-Rivers. As a punishment, he’s dispatched to the remote village of Three Pines to investigate the murder of a wealthy socialite named CC de Poitiers, where he soon discovers everything is not as it seems and he has no shortage of suspects.

Gamache returns to Three Pines to investigate the disappearance of the popular resident Marc Fortier but it soon becomes a murder case that leads Gamache and his team into the heart of the village’s dark past at St Anthony’s. Meanwhile, Lacoste discovers a key piece of evidence relating to Blue’s disappearance has been faked, and with Gamache’s encouragement secretly reopens the case.

Gamache and his team get to the heart of the case, excavating decades-old resentments and deeply buried secrets in the Morrow family as they do so, and make the key discovery that enables them to identify the killer. Meanwhile, Lacoste’s elation at making a breakthrough in the Two-Rivers case proves short-lived and a tragedy leaves her shell-shocked.

Gamache and his team unearth a tragic story that provides the key to the victim’s desire for vengeance, and by doing so leads the team to his murderers. Meanwhile, it falls to Gamache to apprehend the individual responsible for Blue Two-Rivers’ disappearance, putting himself in grave danger as he does so.