西蒙·佩吉饰演一个从儿童文学转向犯罪小说写作的作家杰克,为了写作一个名为《几十年的死亡》(Decades of Death)的剧本,天生胆小的杰克开始调查一些维多利亚时期连环杀手的资料,导致自己患上严重的妄想症,总是臆想自己会遭到谋杀。就在杰克生活搞得一团糟的时候,一个神秘的好莱坞片商却对他写出的剧本表示出极大的兴趣。
Chekov's Uncle Vanya, transposed to turn-of-the-century North Wales, where the peace and tranquility of a country house is disturbed by the arrival of the estate's tyrannical owner and his American wife.
The plot revolves around British aristocratic detective Inspector Thomas Lynley and his working-class partner, Sergeant Barbara Havers, as they solve crimes interwoven with social issues. As the 8th Earl of Asherton, Lynley is from the highest aristocratic order of Britain outside the royal family, while Havers is a perceptive woman who cannot boast a rich heritage. The divide in their social status often makes for interesting conversations and differing perspectives that explore the themes of class and gender.