When Roger the Chapman discovers he has a hitherto unknown half-brother, he has mixed feelings about the matter. But when John Wedmore is accused of being the young page who, six years earlier, robbed his mistress and murdered a fellow servant, and is thrown into prison, Roger feels obliged to investigate the charge. His enquiries take him into Somerset, to the Manor House at Croxcombe, home of the Bellknapp family. But his search for the truth is complicated by the sudden and unexpected arrival of Anthony Bellknapp, the elder son - missing, presumed dead for the past eight years - to claim his inheritance. Anthony succeeds in antagonising almost all the Manor's inhabitants; and when he is murdered, Roger finds himself with too many suspects from which to choose. But he is convinced that the past and present killings are linked; and if he can prove the connection, his half-brother's name will be cleared.