Oxford, 1895: A senior executive at the Ashmolean Museum is found in his office with a bullet hole between his eyes, a pistol discarded close by. The death has been ruled as suicide, but the museum's administrator suspects foul play. With his cast-iron reputation for shrewdness, private enquiry agent Daniel Wilson is a natural choice to discreetly explore the situation, ably assisted by his partner, archaeologist-cum-detective Abigail Fenton. Yet their enquiries are hindered by an interfering lone agent from Special Branch, ever secretive and intimidating in his methods. With rumours of political ructions from South Africa, mislaid artefacts and a lost Shakespeare play, the pair soon find themselves tangled in bureaucracy, facing players who live by a different set of rules. They will need their intellect and ingenuity to reveal the secrets of the aristocracy.