When ad man Victor Dean falls down the stairs in the offices of Pym's Publicity a respectable London advertising agency it looks like an accident. Then Lord Peter Wimsey is called in and he soon discovers there's more to copywriting than meets the eye. A bit of cocaine a hint of blackmail and some wanton women can be read between the lines. And then there is the brutal succession of murders -- 5 of them -- each one a fixed fee for advertising a deadly secret.