Sherlock Holmes may attend to the needs of the aristocracy, but among the workhouses of South London, private detective William Arrowood is presented with far grittier and considerably less well-paid cases. In this second outing, the Barclays engage Arrowood to find their daughter, Birdie, who married a pig farmer and hasn't been seen since. Although Arrowood thinks that he and his assistant, Barnett, will track her down easily, this missing-person case soon turns into a murder investigation that will severely test his skills as a sleuth.