 Morse and Lewis investigate when Nicos, the chef from a local Greek restaurant, is found murdered. He had been in England for 6 months and they initially learn little about him other than he was well liked and had no enemies. They eventually learn that he had previously been in England as a sous-chef for Digby Tuckerman, a wheeler dealer whose hotel went bankrupt and is now hoping to open a series of marine theme parks. Morse seeks the advice of Randall Rees a scholarly expert on ancient Greek ships and learns that he too was recently in Greece as the organizer of a symposium on ancient Greek maritime vessels. When Nicos  sister is also killed, Morse must determine who would want them both dead.