July 1698. Sano Ichiro, the samurai detective who has risen to turn into the shogun's second-in-command, is investigating rumors of a plot to overthrow the ruling regime. whilst the research brings Sano's deputy Hirata to Lord Mori's property, he's surprised to discover Lord Mori murdered and grotesquely mutilated in his personal mattress, and Sano's pregnant spouse, Reiko, mendacity beside him. the single strong clue is a chrysanthemum soaked in blood.
            Reiko's account of her activities is something yet stable. She insists that she went undercover to Lord Mori's property in an effort to examine claims that he molested and murdered younger boys. but if Sano inspects the crime scene, he reveals no hint of what Reiko defined. and each different witness tells a special tale: woman Mori alleges that Reiko was once Lord Mori's scorned mistress and murdered him for revenge. And Lord Mori himself, talking via a medium, claims his homicide used to be a part of Sano's plot to overthrow the shogun!
            until Sano can end up his wife's not going claims, either he and Reiko--and their unborn child--face execution for treason. Sano fights desperately to save lots of his relatives and his honor, as Laura Joh Rowland attracts at the culture of the vintage movie Rashomon to deliver us a masterful story of intrigue and treachery.