A popular teacher is found dead in his bed. He was a boarding master and teacher at an exclusive private boys' school in the Eastern suburbs of Sydney. Did Bentley Shute commit suicide, die of natural causes or something more sinister? Detective Stone and Sergeant O'Shea investigate. They are assisted by Jim Cameron, the deputy headmaster and the headmaster's assistant, Daphne Withers. Together they uncover the shady side of the school. Jealousies, homophobia and chauvinism flourish in this rarefied institution. Can the school survive the investigation? Will enrolments fall and will its reputation be destroyed? Is the school more important than a dead teacher?