Detective Inspector Lynley and Detective Sergeant Havers are drawn into the closed world of the prestigious public school Bredgar Hall when a promising young pupil, Matthew Whateley, goes missing.

Lynley and Havers travel to the Highlands of Scotland, where an eminent playwright has been murdered. The suspects are glamorous stars of the film and theatre world, who have been rehearsing their new play in impresario Sir Stuart Stinhurst's remote country pile.

Lynley and Havers investigate when the beautiful and deaf daughter of a Cambridge lecturer is found murdered. A post-mortem reveals that the victim was pregnant, and the police build up a picture of a promiscuous girl with a large number of admirers. It appears that jealousy is likely to be a factor in the case.

In an apparently tranquil Lancashire village, Lynley investigates the mysterious poisoning of vicar Robin Sage.