'Mr Sherlock Holmes, the well-known private detective, was the victim of a murderous assault this morning which has left him in a precarious position'. Dr Watson stops dead in his tracks when he reads of the attempt on his friend's life. The forces of nature turn against man, love breeds hatred and cowardice, mothers appear to attack their own children, and Sherlock Holmes, the one man who can redress the balance, seemingly lies at death's door ... When an assassination attempt is made on the great detective's life it seems that no one can escape the death and dread which blights Britain...