Based on the best-selling novels from US novelist Elizabeth George, Thomas Lynley (Nathanial Parker) mixes his life as a Detective Inspector with his birthright as the 8th Earl of Asherton. Assisting Lynley in crime-solving duties is Detective Sergeant Barbara Havers (Sharon Small), but their working relationship is feisty - not only do they have murder cases to solve but they also have to deal with differences in gender and class.