In which Dr. Toole and Mr. Justice Lowe visit the ailing Doctor Sturk, whose fading strength is spent in revealing a harrowing secret concerning a notorious crime and its dark perpetrator, while Toole’s subsequent errands reveal a tangled web of legal machinations and distressing news about the fate of poor Sally Nutter. Amidst a village stirred by ominous events, Toole prepares to confront the shadowy forces at work, his heart heavy with the burden of truth and loyalty.