The scion of the Colvilles, who are wealthy wine merchants, is about to marry the daughter of the even grander Nash family. Immediately after the nuptials, the bridegroom's uncle Cosmo is found clutching a gun, having apparently killed his own brother. He refuses to give any explanation, even to his solicitor, who retains Lord Francis Powerscourt to investigate.

Three men are found with their throats cut, and all are connected in some way to an ancient City of London livery company, the Silkworkers. Lord Powerscourt has no shortage of suspects or suspicions. The first victim had shadowy links with the Secret Service. The second had wiped fifteen years out of his own past. The third, a man who collected women at church during Christmas Carol services, had been threatened by angry husbands and disinherited