The Maximus Quartet of Oxford had been invited to provide an evening of cultural entertainment to the residents of a small Cotswold market town. It all went well until the interval, when the audience was shocked to learn that the second half of the performance would not take place, due to the unexpected death of one of the musicians. Motives appear, evidence disappears and accusations fly as clock repairer Jacob Silver and his wife Sarah join the town’s police to discover why someone has decided the quartet would be better off as a trio.