For most of his cases involving marriage, Marlowe finds himself checking up on one unhappy spouse for another unhappy spouse. Nothing personal, just an unpleasant job. But not this time. Now he's the spouse, and if he can't trust Nina, his new wife and old bodyguard, they're both in big trouble. Because while their honeymoon destination, Beet City, has a reputation as a tourist mecca, it's also the holy seat of a powerful cult that worships the music of Ludwig Van Beethoven. What was supposed to be a routine undercover sham marriage in order to spy on a powerful cult bent on world domination...