The sudden death of a secretarial student and the shooting of a doctor appear unconnected despite Morse's theories. Chief Superintendent Bright, the new commanding officer of the Oxford City Police, unimpressed with Morse's zeal, protests to Thursday that the bagman's position is a Detective Sergeant's job and the young constable is too inexperienced. Following the shooting of a vicar, Morse is reduced to general duties for dismissing a beautiful, but mentally unstable girl as a suspect and must continue his investigations alone despite warnings of possible dismissal from his superiors.

When a worker at a missile factory is murdered, Bright wants the case resolved quickly, but Endeavour remains unconvinced that the crime is such an open-and-shut case.

A hit and run accident claims the life of an eminent Classics Professor forcing Endeavour and Thursday to each face their past. Not every story has a happy ending.