A tricky case for Inspector Jury and his (ex-)aristocratic friend Melrose Plant: In Rackmoor, a picturesque Yorkshire harbor town, a woman dressed as a harlequin is murdered. The dead woman is said to be Dillys March, the adopted daughter of the extremely wealthy Colonel Titus Crael, who disappeared 20 years ago and has now unexpectedly returned. His son Julian Crael, however, believes she is an imposter. In his opinion, the woman pretended to be Dillys in order to gain access to Colonel Titus's fortune. Did Julian perhaps kill her?