Lady Hugh, the intolerant Bible-fanatic president of Oxford's Mayfield college, turns against anything gay. Shortly after popular, decent student Will McEwan shoots himself in the head in St. Mark's church, after waving the revolver at Reverend Francis King, who is himself found torturously murdered by a hot poker in the head the next day. The link between both victims is The Garden, a pious society offering 'Christian answers to youngsters' contemporary questions', its emblem being a Fenix, which both Will's suicide note 'I lost my way between Getsemane and Calvary' and a message on King's door 'Life born of fire' refer to. Lewis's partner, Detective Sergeant James Hathaway, was a friend of gentle gay Will in school and again at university, but his brutally gay-bashing father Henry McEwan apparently repudiates Will posthumously finding out and his mother believed he was getting steady with a nice girl. Lewis keeps digging in all those circles, discovering more secrets and deceit. More blood is to be spilled, and the meaning of names proves crucial...