Westray, a young architect, is sent to the town of Cullerne to oversee repairs to the tower of the minster there. He lodges in the town in the house of a gentlewoman who has seen better days. A fellow lodger is Sharnall, the church organist, who is convinced that there is some mystery surrounding the nearby house of Blandamer where a new lord has recently inherited the title. The plot thickens when Sharnall dies suddenly.
