"Heartbreaks," Lillian Dawson carefully underlines in the book. “Loving relationships die.” But people die, too—and Lillian Dawson is found murdered in the perennial bed of Clara Morrow, who is celebrating her first solo exhibition at Three Pines. Thanks to the gathering of artists and connoisseurs of art, the sunken village was transformed in time into a world where every brush stroke, every shadow play plays a fateful role. Where behind every smile lurks a smirk. And every loving relationship hides a broken heart. Chief Inspector Gamache arrives with his team to uncover the truth. But what is offered to their eyes: reality or just a light illusion?