When Arthur Moonlight, a financially troubled aristocrat, has second thoughts about selling the family mansion to the fanatical 'Forward Britain' movement he calls in his friend, London financier Mark Treasure, to stop the sale. But the situation is far more complicated than it first seems and when evidence comes to light that a valuable Shakespearean manuscript is hidden at Mitchell Hall, the Moonlight family's former country seat becomes a centre of death and intrigue.

In the space of a few short days, an old lady has died of fright, a grave-digger has suffered a fatal fall, and linked to these strange incidents are a menacing American posing as a clergyman, a power-hungry MP, and a famous antiquarian supervising a team of Filipino labourers.

This, the first of Mark Treasure's investigations, will lead to even more startling revelations - and unexpected rewards.