It's 1882 and Albert Moscrop is holidaying in Brighton, his time dedicated to taking in the seaside scenes, no matter how private. Marching down Queen's Road to the beach, he draws us straight into a compelling drama played out in the fashionable haunts of the nineteenth-century resort: beach, pier, promenade, swimming bath and Devil's Dyke.
A keen observer, Moscrop is fascinated by one particular family - the Protheros; and in particular the beautiful Zena Prothero, excessively taken for granted by her husband. Gradually, Moscrop moves into the circle of the Prothero family, only to become involved in a sensational and gruesome murder which horrifies all of Brighton. The local police seek the help of Scotland Yard, provided in the persons of Sergeant Cribb and Constable Thackeray. Once there, they find themselves facing the strangest case of their careers, one just as mystifying as it is macabre.