Inspector Alleyn and his wife, the painter Agatha Troy, are invited to the luxury home of millionaire Montague V Reece, newly built on a lake in New Zealand's South Island for his mistress, the international opera star Isabella Sommita.

Alleyn's commission is to investigate and stop the activities of a masked paparazzo who has been persecuting Sommita with unauthorised, unflattering photos published under the name of 'Strix'.

An extended house party gathers for the world premiere of a new opera 'The Alien Corn', based on the biblical Ruth story and featuring La Sommita's famous high note A 'in alt', composed by a handsome young composer.

The premiere is an embarrassing fiasco and La Sommita is found dead in her bedroom, stabbed through the heart with a photo of herself impaled on the dagger.

Newgate Callendar (pseudonym for Harold C. Schonberg} in The New York Times was impressed that Marsh wrote so well, though having already turned 80.