 When the Brothers find the body of a dead woman buried in a farmer s field given to them by Lord Blount, the suspicion is that she is Generys, the wife of one time potter Brother Ruald, who had abandoned her a year previously to follow his vocation and joining the monastery. Ruald denies any responsibility for his wife s death and when the identity of the victim is brought into question, Brother Cadfael sets off to determine just who was killed and why. While Cadfael successfully identifies the killer, there is little that can be done to bring the culprit to justice.