The owner of a sugar plantation, Roger Seymour (James Cosmo), is discovered in broad daylight in his mill with a machete in his back. Poole and his team have a seemingly impossible case to solve. Despite countless suspects, his ex-wife Nicole Seymour (Stephanie Beacham), nephew Alex Seymour (Tom Ward), his new younger girlfiend Kim Neville (Estella Daniels) and others all within sight of each other giving cast iron alibis. Broken glass from a torch, letters JOH scrawled in blood by the victim, a disappearing small girl and a near-two-hundred-year-old mystery of disappearing slaves are the only clues. Camille's mother organises a blind date for her during the festival of love, Erzulie, which has unexpected results for Richard and Camille.