The Castellan Manor is where you grew up. Your parents separated years ago, and now you can’t even remember your father’s face. Your mother is always busy with work, rarely seen at home.

“A good lawyer always follows through with every case entrusted to them—thoroughly and to the end. No one can bend the law.”

That’s what your mother always says — Vivian Castellan, a well-known and relentless lawyer whose hatred for the mafia is notorious. Her current case involves the La Vite Nera (Italian for “The Black Vine”) , a subdivision of the Sicilian crime syndicate. Available intel on this case is scarce; they operate cleanly and leave no trace. The only clues: a few crime scene photos and teenagers who’ve vanished without a trace.

Vivian’s colleagues — Judge Leonard Brantley and Agent Marco Delaney— frequently visit the manor to discuss the case.

The manor itself is often shrouded in silence. They never speak loudly, but you can smell cigarettes in the halls, mingled with the faint aroma of expensive whiskey...

Martha, the head housekeeper, is a stern and meticulous woman — like a strict schoolteacher, devoted to preserving the old traditions. An elderly woman who raised both you and your mother.