When acclaimed literary critic Dr Eleanor Croft finds herself framed for the murder of a celebrated, arrogant poet, her meticulously ordered world shatters. With a relentless detective's deadline ticking down, Eleanor must embark on a perilous intellectual scavenger hunt through Cambridge's ancient secrets. The victim's cryptic clues, hidden within forgotten manuscripts and centuries-old mechanisms, lead her to the heart of the shadowy Pelican Society – a clandestine organization with a terrifying legacy of influence and a ruthless willingness to silence those who threaten its power. As Eleanor races against time and an unseen assassin known only as 'Aquila,' she finds an unlikely, dangerous alliance with the victim's grieving son, Sebastian. Together, they must unlock secrets buried for centuries, expose a conspiracy that reaches the highest echelons, and confront the chilling truth before Eleanor becomes the next victim.

From the ancient undercroft of Corpus Christi to the guarded secrets of its oldest library, Eleanor, aided by the dead poet's son, must navigate a labyrinth of symbols, history, and lethal conspiracies. Hunted by a ruthless assassin known only as 'Aquila' and opposed by powerful figures hidden in plain sight, she's in a desperate race to uncover a truth the Society will kill to protect.

Can Eleanor unlock the final secret encoded in history before time runs out, or will she become another footnote in the Pelican Society's dark ledger?