Robert Turold has spent thirty years set on a single idea – to complete the genealogy of his family that will restore a title which has been in a state of abeyance for centuries. On the day of his wife's funeral he announces that he has finally achieved the last link in the chain, and then seemingly commits suicide. However, detective Brannert of Scotland Yard suspects a murder. Turold's young daughter, a long-time servant, his brother and a nephew all have something to gain by his death. So does a figure from his past, whose footsteps came back to haunt him on the night of his death.
