Dalgliesh investigates a murder in the Essex home of the Mehtas, a staggeringly wealthy family with connections to the British government. With the help of local detective Clive Roscoe, Dalgliesh builds a picture of events in the weeks leading to the crime, confronting a blanket of secrecy among his guarded suspects.

A pair of grueling interrogations brings the victim's life into sharper focus, but will it lead the police to the killer? After a shocking confession is made, Dalgliesh realizes he has been lied to.