As the auction at High Gates House in Borrowdale nears, Christopher Henderson bumps into Jennifer Reade, the expected recipient of the proceeds of the house clearance sale. She discovers a dead man in the cellar of the house but threatens Christopher into remaining silent about it until after the auction to avoid delays. The auction is halted by the police with the news that a murder has been committed.

Simmy, Christopher's wife and amateur sleuth, applies herself to the mystery of the deaths but she will have to contend with a ruthless and determined killer in her fight for the truth.