When a young seminary student is smothered to death, Commander Adam Dalgliesh is summoned to a scenic coastal college where he reveals an unholy litany of sinister motives lurking beneath the surface of piety and penance.

When a young seminary student is smothered to death, Commander Adam Dalgliesh is summoned to a scenic coastal college where he reveals an unholy litany of sinister motives lurking beneath the surface of piety and penance.