The murder of a maintenance worker at the Bodleian Library and the death of a popular Art student seem to be linked.

Lewis investigates the garroting of an aging Oxford don planning an Wagnerian festival and discovers a tenuous connection to his former boss, Inspector Morse.

The suicide of Hathaway's old friend tests his relationship with Lewis as he must come to terms with ambivalence about his own sexual past.

Lewis and Hathaway become involved in the drugging and rape of a schoolgirl and discover that it is connected to several bizarre murders.