December 1911. India is in a tizzy. The old walls of Mughal Delhi are bedecked, as the British are hosting a grand durbar to celebrate the coronation of the new king, George V. Cooling his heels at the Majestic Hotel as he awaits the king's arrival, a bored Maharaja Sikander Singh of Rajpore is paid a surreptitious visit by two British officers, who insist that he accompany them to the king emperor's camp. There, an old friend, Malik Umar Hayat Khan, who works for Lord Hardinge, tells Sikander that his services as a sleuth are required, and ushers him into the king emperor's personal chambers. Inside is a dead nautch girl who appears to have been strangled. And Sikander must find the killer before scandal erupts. With far too many suspects with very strong motives, will the Maharaja be able to solve the case and save the Durbar from ruin?