 Morse and Lewis find themselves in Vicenza, Italy looking into the death of May Lawrence who was killed while attending a psychotherapy clinic there. The clinic is run by Russell Clark, a convicted fraudster who is well known to Morse and the British authorities. Morse is particularly enjoying the trip, all the more so when he learns that one of the patients at the clinic is Nicole Burgess, a well-known opera singer. What Morse learns suggests fraud in the selling of counterfeit rare manuscripts but the culprits are anything but obvious. As well, the link to May Lawrence s death remains elusive.