Queen Elizabeth is furious at the delays to the production of her new coin

and so Lady Grace and her fellow Maids of Honour escape her bad temper and set off to skate on the frozen Thames. But their outing turns sour when a body is discovered on the banks - a man blindfolded with coins on his eyes. Grace is sure something odd is going on and decides that, as the Queen's Lady Pursuivant, she should be the one to investigate.

Along with her friends Ellie the laundrymaid and Masou the acrobat, she delves deep into a dangerous world of counterfeiting and corruption.