DCI Adam Dalgliesh is sent to a nursing school to investigate the death of Heather Pearce, a student poisoned during a demonstration.

After the death of another student nurse at Nightingale House, Dalgliesh's hunt for the murderer intensifies and may put his own life in danger.

Dalgliesh is invited to Dorset by an old friend, only to discover that he has recently died, as well as a resident at a mysterious nearby home for the disabled.

After another suspicious death at Toynton Grange, a vote is held on its future; convinced that the deaths are linked, Dalgliesh races to identify the murderer.

Two bodies are found in a London church with their throats slashed: a homeless man and an aristocratic Tory MP, who had recently resigned after a guest drowned at his wife's birthday party; Dalgliesh is called in to investigate.

Another violent attack at the church seems to rule out Dalgliesh's main suspect; after discovering more home truths about Sir Paul's family, Dalgliesh is forced to draw on his own personal tragedies to disarm the killer.