Cambridge. 1888. A bloodied, torn doll is found floating in the Cam, snagged at The Jesus Lock, the first of many locks along the beautiful river, and located just north of Jesus College. It is soon discovered that the owner, now a beautiful young woman and daughter of a Cambridge don, has gone missing. This case vies for Holmes’s attention with the murder of a famous Italian escape artist who dies horrifically during his London act, following an earlier, sabotaged performance witnessed by the detective. Travelling between Cambridge and London, Holmes attempts to unlock the deadly secrets of both cases, while Watson’s own guarded history takes centre stage in his life, with the arrival in Baker Street of a small locked box addressed to him from beyond the grave.