Gavriel van Helsingor is once again called to action by church and state. The Holy Roman Empire and Holy Mother Church has seen it fit to send him back into the east to investigate rumors of cruesome deaths at the hand of some unseen dark beast. In Styria, the doctor must move fast. Winter approaches, and he will soon find himself imprisoned by the changing season as the passes close. Question all and trust none. The only one he can rely on may, in fact, be the source of all the malice.