Revisiting his colonial past in Sydney, academic authority on magic Archer Major recieves threatnng letters. He gets creepy bookseller Mac Arber to hire Plant to investigate their source. When the letters continues, Major imports Plant to Oxford and sets him up in college. Unreconstructed radical Revill is the prime suspect. He claims Major ran a sercret service project to neutralize dissidents by black magic, and ruined his career. Major's dope smoking wife, Lucy, seems to be having an affair with Revill. Until he is found dead.