Elin is living a peaceful married life when she is called upon to investigate a matter of great urgency. The fearsome Toda are dying, and nobody knows why. She uncovers a deadly plot but can she protect her homeland without allowing her beloved beasts to be used as weapons of war, or will she have to compromise to save her family? The thrilling conclusion that began with THE BEAST PLAYER.
At the start of the twentieth century, on the edge of the Russian Empire, a family prospers, thanks to a recipe for hot chocolate that bewitches its drinkers. But this chocolate carries a bitter - some say cursed aftertaste. Through the years, across expanses of longing and loss, we witness generations of this remarkable family as they struggle and thrive, and live and die in the red century.