Harry Field was an artist, a raconteur, a drinker... and not averse to forging the odd painting or inventing an impressive coat of arms for a gullible American. When he is mysteriously killed, Morse takes over the investigation and plunges into the arty world of Harry's bohemian friends. Morse soon grows to like Harry, but as the inquiry proceeds and he meets the dead man's wife and father, he discovers that perhaps Harry was not the loveable rogue he appeared to be. As if Morse doesn't have enough on his mind, he has to cope with an ambitious Sergeant Lewis, who requests Morse's recommendation to sit his police inspector examination.