Lady Winsley, an American novelist and investigative journalist, is murdered in Büyükada, an island in the Prince archipelago in Turkey. Inspector Fergün arrives from Istanbul to head the investigation. With the help of Azra, the hotel owner at which he is staying at, he has to deal with a distrustful and secretive tight-knit community which harbours numerous taboos, ethnic tensions, has strong family ties, and is attached to ancient traditions.