Caught in a thunderstorm one hot summer night, Peter Lake takes shelter in a public call-box. When the telephone begins to ring, and curiosity prompts him to answer, a desperate plea for help issues from the receiver - then a scream - then silence. His determination to assist the owner of the mystery voice will fling him headlong into uncharted seas of crime, danger and sudden death... Meanwhile, Adam Kane, brilliant and unorthodox solicitor, brings his powerful intellect to bear on four baffling cases.