A centuries old mystery is about to unravel...When Tim Harding agrees to do a favor for a friend by bidding on his behalf for an antique ring at auction, little does he know of the secrets that tie the ring to three tragedies: the sinking of HMS Association off Silly in 1707, a murder in Penance thirty years later and the drowning of a journalist diving at the Association wreck site in 1999.In the event, the ring is stolen before it can be sold. And a shocking murder soon follows.

Harding is drawn into a web of conspiracies surrounding the ring's origins and finds, close to the heart of the mystery, a young woman he is certain he recognizes, even though they have never met before. As he goes in search of her identity, his life begins to fall apart around him. Somewhere, a perilous truth awaits him, coupled with a terrible realization: those who uncover that truth are not allowed to live...