Peder lives at Castle Krumsky, an Academy for Gifted Children. When the castle is blown to smithereens it falls to Peder and his friends to lead the survivors to safety, and solve the mystery of what has happened, and why. The Academy teaches its pupils in the arts of the circus, and is the HQ for Cirtex, a shadowy organisation who roam the Empire far and wide, entertaining people and solving mysteries at the same time. Their biggest enemy in the past few years is called The Skincatcher, a name he has earned, as Peder will soon find out. Peder travels back to his home town of Querkelberg. Here he discovers that not only were the deaths of his parents connected to the castle, but, more frighteningly, to The Skincatcher himself. And now The Skincatcher is coming after Peder. This is a tale of murder, betrayal and revenge, and is not for the fainthearted. It is also a story that reaches right to the heart of what family and friendship is all about.