Matt Sinclair, the gay scion of an old New Orleans family must clear his cousin Sylvia of murder. One Rodger Lloyd, Sylvia's ex-lover, and the sire of one of her sons was murdered in his hotel room. Lloyd's "dying message" seems to accuse Sylvia herself, as his last act was to open a book of Audubon prints to a picture of a Garden Warbler, "Sylvia Borin." Meanwhile, Matt's young live-in boy friend, Robin, is demanding that Matt prove his love by participating in a "Commitment Ceremony" at the Metropolitan Community Church.