Judge William Thornton, hard man of the Crown Court, retires to enjoy the fruits of his success but becomes the victim of hate mail in the form of Biblical quotations. His study is broken into and his beloved granddaughter, Jody, apparently kidnapped, adding to the judge's nightmare. With his alcoholic, terminally ill brother, Bernard, and his housekeeper, Emma, the judge attends a cocktail party - can they unmask the perpetrator and end the judge's misery?