Prudence Ann Markham had the reputation of being a very meticulous movie editor. She stored away the film she had been editing, checked the studio gear, set the alarm and locked the outer door. It was 10:40 pm when she headed for the deserted parking lot...but she never reached her car. Carlton Barnaby Markham didn't have a clue as to what film his wife had been editing...but he knew it had disappeared...and that he had been arrested and thrown in jail for murder. Matthew Hope had changed legal specialties to criminal law several months earlier, but despite his last name he felt quite the contrary. His first case ended in defeat and he declined his second. But when Carlton Markham convinces Hope that he is innocent, Hope takes the case. As he begins to uncover the evidence, however, it becomes apparent that it will take more than claims of innocence for Hope to free his client.