Robert Fanshaw, one of Her Majesty's Inspectors of Schools, was not expecting trouble on his visit to Burton Polytechnic until he found himself caught up in a student demonstration and the discovery of the body of the Principal's pretty secretary in the lift. Suspicion immediately falls on several of the Heads of Departments, and Inspector Crow had little doubt where the guilt would prove to lie. As Crow hunts his man, a final twist of fate brings yet another aspect to the situation, making Crow realise that the HMI's role of trained observer has its uses.