Inspector Roderick Alleyn - an aristocrat, an intellectual and the best detective of Scotland Yard - came to relax at a quiet New Zealand resort incognito. There you can heal with mud baths, restore peace of mind, communicate with nice people - this is, at least, the official version of Roderick's stay in New Zealand. However, the foreign guest did not have a peaceful holiday. One of the resort's inhabitants mysteriously disappears, and the next day his body is found in a hot volcanic lake. Is it an accident, murder, or a Maori spell hanging over the resort? But Inspector Alleyn puts the question differently: who is next on the list of victims?

The young talented artist Troy, the wife of Scotland Yard inspector Roderick Alleyn, knew very well what gossip was circulating about the famous theater actor Sir Henry Ancred, whose portrait she was going to paint. But to die under mysterious circumstances immediately after a formal dinner is perhaps too extravagant even for a stage genius. Troy is absolutely sure: there was a murder here. But which of the many members of Sir Henry's troupe is the murderer? After all, in essence, everyone present had a motive to get rid of him. And the opportunity to commit a crime, too! Troy can’t cope alone. And then she has to call on her husband for help and conduct an investigation with him...