The delightfully civilized Mrs. Shelia Malory of Taviscombe, England finds murder and scandal at an American college. Max Loring, a scrupulous curator at Whittier Institute, turns up dead. Then his brother, Professor Carl Loring, whom shares his penchant for malice, is found dead. The suspects are adding up including Mrs. Malory's close friend, a graduate student, a local business man, and a soft spoken writing professor.