Potosi, the richest city in the Western Hemisphere, finds its future threatened when the King of Spain discovers that the coins the city has been circulating throughout the world are not pure silver. The city must prepare to be judged by the King's top prosecutor, and by the Grand Inquisitor. In the midst of this tension, Mother Maria Santa Hilda finds herself at odds when the daughter of a wealthy man mysteriously dies in her care. Despite the fact that it looks as though the girl committed suicide, she has her buried at the convent, a decision a powerful enemy will use against her. Her life at stake, the Abbess and her fellow sisters find themselves in a race against time to prove the true cause of the girl's death. Annamaria Alfieri writes with astounding detail, showing an appreciation for the complexities and social nuances of this intriguing time in Latin American history.