An eminent art historian is found dead in his study and all the evidence points to his estranged son, Stephen.  With his fingerprints on the murder weapon, Stephen’s guilt seems undeniable.

When the police begin to question five other people who were in the house at the time, it is revealed that Stephen’s father was involved in a deadly hunt for a priceless relic in northern France.  The case begins to unravel.

As Stephen’s trial unfolds at the Old Bailey, Inspector Trave of the Oxford police decides he must go to France and find out what really happened in 1944.  What artefact could be so valuable it would be worth killing for?  But Trave has very little time – the race is on to save Stephen from the gallows.