Sir David Marshall, a distinguished scholar and an expert in international affairs, leads a tragic private life because of the insanity of his wife, Yolanda. When she is murdered in a luxurious nursing home, Scotland Yard - in the person of Inspector Roger West - comes under strong pressure: Marshall is an important man. This ticklish case takes West from London to the sunbaked glamour of Miami where he confirms, in a series of explosive encounters, that money, more often than not, is the root of evil.