When senior detective Saul Catchpole takes his family to a production of the Mikado, he has no idea that soon he will be investigating a gruesome murder on the stage and finding out that within the operatic society things are seldom what they seem. Soon the enquiry is delving into the history of several members of the cast with surprising results. Not only does it challenge him and his team, as he introduces a new second in command, but within his own family, unexpected things are happening, when his brother, Jake, rediscovers a long-lost love in one of Saul's acquaintances.