In a shocking scandal, the likes of which has not been seen in the English aristocracy since the eighteenth century, the Duke of Denver stands accused of the foul murder or his sisters fiancé, shot through the heart on a cold, lonely night at Riddlesdale Hall in Yorkshire. The dukes brother, Lord Peter Wimsey, attempts to prove Denvers innocence, but why is the duke refusing to cooperate? And what does his sister, Lady Mary, know about the affair? Trying to reveal the truth, Wimsey uncovers a web of lies and deceit within the family and finds himself faced with the unhappy alternative of sending either his brother or his sister to the gallowsuntil he himself becomes a target.