In this, the second of Sayers's famous Harriet Vane mystery series, Harriet Vane the mystery writer, cleared of murder through the efforts of Lord Peter Wimsey, seeks solace in the country. Walking along a barren beach she stumbles across the body of a bearded young man with his throat cut. From the moment she photographs the corpse, which soon disappears with the tide, she is puzzled by a mystery that might have been suicide, murder or a political plot. With the appearance of her dear friend Lord Peter Wimsey, she finds a reason for detective pursuit ... as only the two of them can.