The book, published in 1995 by Hamish Hamilton was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize.

A priest fleeing from his diocese joins a group of travelling players.

The players are travelling toward their liege lord's castle where they are expected to play at Christmas but, short of money, they decide to stage their plays at a village en route.

[2] The murderer has already been found, a young woman from the village, and the play seems simple enough, however they soon find that the facts don't fit.

The line between the play and reality blurs and, line-by-line, they arrive at the truth about the murder.