To destroy a drug cartel bringing fentanyl into Canada, Gamache risks his career and his soul, leading to a climax where he must consider perjury in a court of law to achieve a higher justice.
The novel heavily features themes of betrayal from within, referencing the struggle against corruption.
The novel alternates between a sweltering July courtroom trial in Montreal and the cold November that led to it.
Now Chief Superintendent of the Sûreté du Québec, Gamache is no longer just solving local murders; he is fighting a war against the opioid epidemic.