An isolated beach on the island of Guernsey in the English Channel is the scene of the murder of Guy Brouard, one of Guernsey's wealthiest inhabitants and its main benefactor. Forced as a child to flee the Nazis in Paris, Brouard was engaged in his latest project when he died: a museum in honor of those who resisted the German occupation of the island during world War II. It is from this period of time that his murderer may well have come. But there are others on Guernsey with reason to want Guy Brouard dead: from his wives and business associates to his current mistress and the underprivileged teenagers he mentored. Indeed, Guernsey is revealed as a place of secrets, and forensic scientist Simon St. James and his wife Deborah soon discover that seemingly everyone on the history-haunted island has something to hide. Behind all the lies and alibis, a killer is lurking. In order to bring this person to justice, the St. Jameses must delve into Guernsey's dark history - both past and present - and into the troubled psyche of someone who may have exacted retribution for the most unspeakable crime of all.