[1][2] It is the twenty eighth in her series featuring Chief Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard.

Shortly after the Second World War, with rationing still in force, MacDonald is on the track of Gordon Ginner, a cunning London criminal whose current racket involves clothing coupons.

He then receives a letter from a farmer in Lancashire about the strange theft of some seemingly near valueless items.

Having been enthralled by the area on a previous visit, MacDonald plans to liaise with his Manchester colleagues on the Ginner case before heading on to spend a weekend in Lunesdale, where he can unofficially investigate the thefts.

With the help of the locals, he gradually establishes the murdered man's connection to the area and the possibility he was killed by someone he was blackmailing.