In the house of an elderly respected priest, a young translator, who was helping the owner in researching ancient religious texts, died after falling down the stairs. Police Superintendent Thomas Pitt, who was entrusted with the investigation, finds himself in an extremely difficult position. It is not enough to find the culprit - if, of course, there is one - everything must be done to avoid a scandal in society and high church circles. And the worst thing is that one of the suspects is the first love of the inspector’s wife, who is confident of his innocence. So the policeman will have to conduct another, this time behind-the-scenes investigation: he must understand why she stands up for this man like that. Maybe his wife still loves him?..