Joan Hack died in 2002 in Bangor, North Wales. After her husband's sudden death she became a virtual recluse with no brothers, sisters or children. As Fraser and Fraser do some detective work, the case leads the team through Scotland, Liverpool and even leafy West Sussex. But it soon becomes clear that rivals are ahead of the game. With time running out, can the team think on its feet and make the vital breakthrough that will help win the race? Over in Sheffield, the heir hunters are also on the case of Barbara Thompson, a free-spirited intellectual who spoke seven languages and travelled widely. When investigators discover that she owned property in a fashionable part of Paris, they soon become entangled in the intricacies of French law. And they're also faced with another perplexing question: just why did such a free-spirited traveller decide to return home at the end of her life?