 Inspector Hopkins invites Holmes to assist him in solving the brutal murder of Lord Brackenstall with a fireplace poker at his country estate. According to his bruised and battered wife, her husband was a secret alcoholic who kept his drinking discreetly hidden. On the night in question, she alleges that her house was invaded by a locally notorious thief and his two larcenous sons, who bound her, stole the family silver, bludgeoned her husband to death, and calmly helped themselves to some port wine. Lady Brackenstall denies that the obvious bruising on her face and hands are connected to the murder. When something about the three wine glasses used by the perpetrators bothers Holmes, his mind begins to move in a new direction.