It was hard to decide which caused the most talk in the sedate little town of Syracuse that fall of 1869—the arrival of the mysterious Madam Cissy Janeway or the discovery of the fabulous petrified giant in nearby Cardiff. With so much excitement, it wasn't surprising that there was so little curiosity about Orrin Applegate's discovery of the unknown murdered man. And even Orrin, as Madam's lawyer, had more to worry about than an unsolved crime. His client was far too rich and beautiful not to arouse envy and suspicion and she was much too reticent about her past not to worry Orrin when his young neighbor, Lossie, fell completely under her spell. The brilliant society parties and the backroom intrigues of bankers, the titanic battle over the Cardiff Giant and the lusty feats of Erie canalers make a colorful setting for this story of love and violence, and of a woman's fanatically guarded secret.