A Michaelhouse delegation travels to Clare in Suffolk, where the renovation of the parish church has divided the community. Arguments over money, workmanship and religious priorities have hardened into a feud among local families and patrons.
A series of murders suggests that someone is using the dispute as cover for older grievances. Matthew Bartholomew and Brother Michael must investigate a town where witnesses protect their neighbours and every faction has its own version of events, hoping to identify the killer before the church's reopening brings the entire community together.