Scotland Yard Commander Adam Dalgliesh retreats to an isolated town for some rest, but his isolation is shattered when he discovers he cannot escape murder.

Scotland Yard's Adam Dalgliesh is searching for a "back seat strangler" who has already murdered four people. When an unpopular forensic scientist is found dead in a British government laboratory, Dalgliesh discovers that almost everyone there could be a suspect. When another body is found nearby, the detective must race against time to find the killer.