It's 1899 and strange things are happening in Edinburgh. The arrival of a circus seems to set in train a terrible series of events: the death of a clerk during a bank robbery and the suicides of two girls within mere hours of one another. Could the deaths be related?

As Rose McQuinn investigates, evidence comes to light that makes Rose's new friend Elma Rice a suspect, but all it not what it seems. Rose must use all her cunning and skills of observation to uncover the truth and find out who the real killer is.