On an evening in April 1864, a young man is brutally murdered in the back streets of Stratford-upon-Avon. Three days later, the national Festival to celebrate the 300th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth is due to take place. Architect Robert Gastrell and photographer Anne Drew must each decide how far they will enter the murky world that surrounds the crime. 150 years later, Robert’s descendant, Christopher Gastrell, visits the town and meets Nancy, an American PhD student. With a diary and photographs, they are drawn to the events of the past and one of Stratford-upon-Avon’s oldest secrets may finally be brought to light.