William Heath, an American journalist, has been found dead in the Tiergarten in Berlin, in the months just before the outbreak of the First World War. The investigations into his death bring together an American diplomat new to the foreign service, an outspoken young noblewoman, a naive police officer, and a reticent friend of the victim. This unlikely team calls on all of their resources to unravel the political, social, and romantic intrigues that might have provoked Mr. Heath's murder.