Edwin Ramsey, a jazz guitarist and music professor at a small college, has his life turned upside down when his department chairman is found with his throat slashed.
Ed becomes embroiled in the murder when Allison Clark, the victim's oboe student, discovers the body and rushes into Ed's studio for help. To complicate things further, Ed's friend and faculty colleague becomes the prime suspect in the killing.
Questions abound as the local sheriff tries to sift through the puzzling clues. What is the motive for the crime? Is the enigmatic Miss Clark somehow involved? Why does a student's suicide four years earlier seem to hold a key to identifying the murderer? While trying to help the sheriff solve the mystery, Ed finds his own life in danger!