 Lynley and Havers are both in Cornwall. Barbara is spending her compensation money learning Akido at a retreat while her boss is visiting his mother at their family seat. One morning a horse trainer who lives on a neighbouring estate is found hanged in his stable. The financial worries of the victim initially lead the investigation to suicide but when Lynley discovers a connection to a local smuggling racket he becomes suspicious. A lead from the post mortem takes them into the local horse world where they come into contact with the local aristocracy, who just happen to be friends of Lynley s mother. As Havers interrogates the local horse trainer and Lynley investigates one of his mother s friends the motive for the murders becomes clear along with the culprit.