The Earl of Wrexford possesses a brilliant scientific mind, but he does not suffer fools gladly. When pompous, pious Reverend Josiah Holworthy publicly condemns him for debauchery, the two enter a war of words, and satirical cartoonist A.J. Quill skewers them both. When the clergyman is found slain in a church, Wrexford is the chief suspect. Quill is really artist Charlotte Sloane, using the non de plume of her late husband. When Wrexford discovers...

Responding to an urgent plea from a troubled family friend, the Earl of Wrexford journeys to Oxford only to find the reclusive university librarian has been murdered and a rare manuscript has gone missing. The only clue is that someone overheard an argument in which Wrexford's name was mentioned.