A beautiful young woman, a member of the Florentine jet set, is found dead - choked to death - in her apartment. She has been left naked on her bed, a black rose on her body. Chief Superindendent Michele Ferrara, just back from Rome, is all too familiar with the dark side of Florence. But he is up against a mysterious, powerful enemy who would do anything to hide his identity, and manages to controls events at every turn. As more violent deaths occur, Ferrara has to face the most insidious investigation in all his career and must confront deadly secrets from his own past.