When John Tait collapses in front of the house of his step-mother, it is first assumed to be due to a heart attack. But when Chief Inspector Pointer is called to the scene, he quickly comes to suspect poison, a suspicion that is borne out by the autopsy. Pointer finds himself confronted with plenty of suspects, the three cousins who stood to lose a comfortable life by Tait's imminent marriage, a vengeful Italian woman who has vowed a vendetta against his step-mother, a mysterious young woman who may well be a blackmailer who has insinuated herself into the household. There is also the fact that Tait's business associate had died the previous day in what might be a case of either suicide or murder. But the case of John Tait's death will prove to be much more complicated than even these possibilities hint at.