Miss Marple read with utter astonishment the letter from the recently deceased Mr. Rafael—an acquaintance she had met a few times on her previous travels. In it, he instructed her to investigate a murder that had occurred before his death. The only problem was that he hadn't revealed the identity of those involved, nor the place or time of the crime. Miss Marple soon found herself confronted with another gruesome murder, one that seemed to be a desperate attempt to bury the dark secrets of the past.