In which the anxious vigil of Mrs. Sturk and her attendants around the sick chamber reveals the grim necessities of surgery performed by the brusque yet capable Dr. Dillon, while the patient, Dr. Sturk, struggles between delirium and consciousness. As the men of science and law assemble to appraise the gravity of his wounds, a dark accusation emerges that sets the tone for an unfolding secret of no small consequence.