The celebration of the opening of a hotel in an old mansion resulted in a huge scandal: in front of guests and journalists, right in front of television cameras, a naked middle-aged lady, a defender of architectural monuments, unfurled an accusatory banner and, satisfied with the effect produced, disappeared from view. After a moment of confusion, amazed citizens rushed after the fugitive and found her in the wine cellar, but, alas, not her alone. In the far corner behind the shelves lay the still warm corpse of the owner of a local store... Inspector Markby and his assistant and inspiration Meredith Mitchell begin an investigation.