The Waterloo police have their hands full. Crowds of school leavers are descending on the Peninsula to celebrate their graduation. As if that weren't enough, two serious crimes are keeping Inspector Hal Challis and his colleague Ellen Destry on their toes: they must investigate the brutal assault on the chaplain of a private school and the murder of a young woman who advocated for the preservation of a fishing cottage. Additional pressure comes from a well-known politician who has a score to settle with the police. The fact that Hal and Ellen have recently become a couple doesn't make things any easier.