Samurai Lord Inaba has been murdered in his sleep, even though his castle was heavily guarded. The only clue is a bloodstained butterfly left on the floor. Once again, the shogun must turn to the famous sleuth, Judge Ooka, and his teenage adopted son, Seikei. The tail leads to rebellious peasants and a mysterious mountain where only the chosen may go. All Seikei has to protect himself is a ninja who may or may not be loyal, and a mysterious stone whose powers Seikei does not fully understand. He is finally pitted against a killer who will stop at nothing to keep Seikei from discovering his true identity. In this Edgar-award-winning book, the husband-and-wife writing team of Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler have put together their most thrilling chapter yet in the Samurai Detective Series.