This is a continuation of the Last Hours and completes the journey of Thaddeus and his friends. Set in 1349 when the Black Death is on the wane, the tale is of a community of serfs and a noble family in a time of repression and superstition. Imagine being someone who has never travelled outside your village so does not know what the surrounding countryside looks like and is in danger all the time from men of a higher rank. There is fear and excitement as the characters seek to gain knowledge of what has happened to other demesnes and try to pull off a deceit to benefit all their community, who are more charitable and knowledgeable than most. I found it, like the first one, a book I could not put down.