Inspector Wexford will never forget the Painter case: it was his first independent murder investigation. Painter himself will not forget this case, because as a result he was hanged. The guilt of the servant, who hacked to death the old mistress with an ax for two hundred pounds, was so obvious that he was sentenced without further hesitation. And fifteen years later, a priest comes to the inspector, confident in Painter’s innocence and wanting to review the case, which had long been archived. Reluctantly, Wexford allows the guest to follow the cold trail. But time keeps many terrible secrets, and even the inspector himself cannot imagine what the pastor will discover when he begins to delve into the atrocities of the past...