A young woman is shot dead through her kitchen window one morning, and an anonymous valentine seems to be a clue to the killer's identity. Morse interviews the neighbours, including Geoffrey Owens, an aggressive journalist, and Adele Cecil, a music teacher - he is very taken with Adele and hopes she has nothing to do with the killing. Then, at the same time of day the next morning, Geoffrey Owens is also shot and killed, and Morse and Lewis deduce that the two murders are connected to a bitterly fought contest taking place at Lonsdale College, Oxford. The current Master of Lonsdale, the malicious Sir Clixby Bream, is retiring, and two of his dons, Denis Cornford and Julian Storrs, are vying for the Master's job, with their wives active behind the scenes.

After a year of baffled failure, the Thames Valley Police Force's investigation into the murder of Yvonne Harrison in a quiet Cotswold village is sparked into life by an anonymous letter which gives new information. Morse, who has been off sick, is under doctor's orders to cut back on his drinking or face the consequences, but few people realize just how bad the state of his health is when he comes back to active service. Of course, Morse takes the view we would expect from him about Lewis heading the murder investigation. As always, Morse ignores his doctor's orders, and he soon collapses and finds himself in hospital, near death - and still agonizing over his last case. Morse's final order to Lewis is to send him away from his bed-side to follow the final clue which will crack the case. It seems odd for Strange, Morse's old antagonist, to be with him when he dies, and not Lewis - but Strange rises to the occasion