Julian Edermont lives at the Red House with his ward, Dora Carew and his old friend, Lambert Joad. But things are amiss at the House. First, Edermont suffers a panic attack at church, during the section of the Litany that prays for deliverance from murder and sudden death. Then, he has a terrible argument with Dora's fiancee, Dr. Allen Scott. When Edermont is found beaten to death in his study, his strange behaviour becomes the key to unlocking a terrible crime - and Dora is forced to turn detective...