Jack Radford is managing director of Donnington’s estate agents, which was inherited by his wife Sarah and her brother Edward although neither of them is involved in the actual business. The firm seems to be flourishing however, rumours have been circulating recently concerning the firm’s risky investments and dubious business undertakings.

On this particular afternoon chaos reigns in the Radford household. Sarah, with the help of the housekeeper Lucy, is searching frantically for the speech she is to give that evening at the Drama Club Dinner when Geoffrey Curtis, a long-term employee of the firm drops by in the hope of finding Jack. Geoffrey, who is not a well man, mentions problems at the office but leaves soon after as Jack has not yet arrived home. Scarcely has he gone when the phone rings. Sarah takes the call, a long-distance one from a Mr. Montserrat, whom she does not know. He leaves Jack a mysterious message: there have been a further three deaths. Shortly after, Lucy informs the completely perplexed Sarah that her brother Edward has arrived.

Edward Donnington is a well-known concert pianist whose last concert in New York had been savaged by the critics. Sarah assumes he has arrived from the States and receives a further surprise when he speaks of his visit to Spain. He tells his sister that in Madrid he was investigating the rumours concerning Jack’s dubious business practices. He refrains from enlightening her any further until he has spoken with his brother-in-law.

Kate Warren, a family friend and well-known TV cook now arrives to take Sarah to the Drama Club Dinner. Although her cooking skills are much admired by the television public, her friends try to avoid her private dinner-parties. Edward apprehensively tries to beat a hasty retreat to the studio but is unable to avert an invitation to dinner. Jack returns home just in time to receive the mysterious telephone message from Sarah but apparently the name Montserrat means nothing to him. Kate, Sarah and Lucy now leave and the two men are left alone. Without further ado, Edward confronts Jack with his suspicions that Donnington’s is involved in a time-share project in Valencia where, as a result of faulty construction, a building has collapsed, killing several people. Jack affirms Donnington’s involvement but maintains they had no say in the construction. Edward remains unconvinced and insists on being given access to the relevant correspondencex Three months later. Sarah is alone at home and in panic begs Kate to come over. Edward’s suicide, with which she has been unable to cope, has left her unstable and confused. This evening she has heard him playing again but the ghostly music breaks off as soon as she approaches his studio. Sarah feels she is going insane; Jack wants her to consult a psychiatrist as the family doctor, Dr. Maurice Young, is at his wit’s end. When Jack finally arrives home he seems displeased to see Kate so she hurriedly takes her leave. A panic-stricken Jack then confesses to Sarah that he has run over a young woman. He has not called the police or an ambulance because he has been drinking and is over the limit also, not so long ago, he was involved in a car accident in which Kate’s daughter was killed. He carries the young woman, who has suffered only minor injuries, into the house and sends Sarah to bed while he waits for Dr. Young.

The next day Sarah is uncertain whether the accident really happened or whether it was simply a figment of her imagination as Jack and Dr. Young deny all knowledge of it. Then a murder is committed – an investigation that will provide Superintendent Cliff Jordan with more than one puzzle to solvex