After a Government minister is murdered, his neighbour, Bishop Conor Mahon pres ides at the funeral. While giving his sermon the bishop notices that the widow of the dead minister is looking at him with amusement.
Thus follows the coming together of several motifs. There is a murder investigation in which the widow, Helen McDermott is a suspect. There is also a growing disquiet in Conor Mahon. once heralded as the next archbishop of Dublin, over the church's beliefs and practices, and his ability to submit to what is becoming increasingly unacceptable. And, as the murder investigation heads towards its resolution, there emerges an understanding and a shared outlook bewtween the widow and the bishop.