In the sacristy of a small provincial church, two corpses are found.
A murder? There can be no doubt.
But what connects the victims—Harry Mack, a poor vagrant, and Paul Barlow, a retired politician? The experienced detective Adam Dalgliesh, who is leading the investigation, is convinced that the motives for the crime must be sought in Barlow’s immediate surroundings. After all, no one in that luxurious house can explain what exactly Sir Paul was doing on a deaf night in an old church. The beautiful widow, her respectable brother, an aristocratic mother, the silent chauffeur—seems that each of them is keeping some secret. Perhaps one of those secrets is the murderer’s name?