The timeline moves on to March 1975, and Dalgliesh is invited to Dorset by his old friend Father Michael – only to discover that he died a few days ago. Father Michael lived in a home for the disabled run by the enigmatic Wilfred, who has organised trips to Lourdes ever since he was miraculously cured there of a serious illness. When Dalgliesh learns that provocative resident Victor recently wheeled himself off a cliff in an apparent suicide, he wonders if his death might be connected to Father Michael’s.