Three young men were killed in the small town of Eastfield. Their death is terrible - they are strangled with a garrote at intervals of three days, as if the killer was performing a bloody ritual. One of those killed is the son of an influential brewer in the area, who believes that only Scotland Yard can solve such a crime. This is how Inspector Rutledge appears in Eastfield. He must find a motive that unites the murdered and the murderer. And he only has three days to do this, otherwise the already appointed victim cannot avoid death.