Unwed mother Sally Jupp meets Dalgliesh when her friend Stavros is murdered. Dr. Stephen Maxie makes his mother hires Sally as housemaid, but the rest of the household hates her. Dalgliesh tracks the drug ring Stavros was part of.
Sally blackmails her uncle for airfare to Venezuela. Stephen's engagement to Sally shatters the family. Dalgliesh narrows the suspects down to the one person missing when the victim was found.
Dalgiesh learns of Sally's attempt to blackmail Victor and her letters from Venezuela. Deborah is attacked. The Maxie family and guests start suspecting each other.
The murder suspects gather around Sally's grave.
