Laurie Pennell has been cared for by his mother, Evelyn, aunt, Phoebe and the priest from their nearby Cornish seaside town. Laurie is happy and well loved but now his mother is no longer as well as she was.
Then a man's body is found at the foot of a cliff and Laurie is too innocent to imagine that he or his family could be involved. Yet somebody's handkerchief has been found on the body, the police have been making enquiries, and his mother and the priest have anxious words. A court is convened that will summon up the ghosts of the past, and soon Laurie will find himself in the dock.