A tragic accident at a prestigious boarding school sets in motion a vicious conflict of political power, greed, and lust—a “breathlessly plotted [and] relentlessly suspenseful (The New York Times) historical thriller from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Pillars of the Earth.<BR><BR>“A terrific page-turner.”—Los Angeles Times<BR><BR>In 1866, tragedy strikes the exclusive Windfield School when a young student drowns in a mysterious accident. His death and its aftermath initiate a spiraling circle of treachery that will span three decades and entwine many lives.<BR><BR>From the exclusive men’s clubs and brothels that cater to every dark desire of London’s upper class to the dazzling ballrooms and mahogany-paneled suites of the manipulators of the world’s wealth, one family is splintered by a shared legacy. But greed, fed by the shocking truth of a boy’s death, must be stopped, or the dreams of a nation will die.