Louise Mercier is the elder of two stepsisters. She has been the private secretary to a very demanding boss for years. Her half-sister, who is twenty years younger and a talented artist, dropped out of university to become a homeless wanderer. However, she is due to inherit a large legacy on her twenty-fifth birthday.
The last Louise sees of her sister is a visit from her, accompanied by a young American. Louise thinks she has joined a closed community in Yorkshire, but they refuse to reveal if this is true. Then, she is told her sister died in an accident some months previously. She had left her money to an unknown fund in Luxembourg. An inquest had ruled it was an accidental death. Then, to her surprise, she learns that the young American had also met with a fatal accident.
What really happened to these two young people? The mystery deepens when two more bodies are found hidden in remote places.
Commander Richard Buxton of the Metropolitan Police is faced with four mysterious deaths. His investigations reveal a world where greed fuels murder.