Twenty years have passed since the events of La Belle Sauvage and Lyra is now a student at St Sophia’s College, Oxford. A mature young woman with strong beliefs and a frequently fraught relationship with her daemon, Pantalaimon, Lyra has become disillusioned and suspicious of the world around her. A multi-layered plot that develops previous characters – such as Malcolm Polstead – and introduces new ones, the second novel in 'The Book of Dust' series bolts at breakneck speed through a brutal murder, international espionage, murky dealings by the Magisterium and a falling out between Lyra and Pan that threatens their relationship and their lives.