Rich Greeks do not pay taxes. Poor Greeks are either outraged by that, or just despair about their own hopeless situation. But an unknown man does neither one nor the other: he takes action. With threatening letters, hemlock poison and arrows – in the name of the state. In crisis-shaken Athens, everything is upside down; the only place where things are calm is in the homicide division. There are no murders for miles around, just tedious paperwork. When a body is found on the ancient Kerameikos cemetery, Inspector Haritos is almost relieved. But not quite. He is under pressure: his boss has alerted him to the possibility of a promotion, so he has to avoid treading on anyone's toes. But Haritos is unable to avoid some uncomfortable questions. The dead man was a well-known surgeon who profited from mismanagement in the health care system. Everyone knew that. Even the anonymous tax collector, who has recently been blackmailing tax evaders – and, if necessary, resorting to ancient murder methods.