Justice Barber, a member of the High Court, presides over the most serious trials in Southern England. He has passed many sentences, but which of the criminals he convicted or their relatives sent him an anonymous threatening letter? At first, Barber does not take this seriously, but soon he only miraculously manages to avoid death. The police are inactive. And then amateur detective Francis Pettigrew gets down to business - a man who has a rare gift for asking the right people the right questions. But would he have time to find out who wanted to get rid of the judge before the killer carried out his plan?