Set in 1965, the plot centres around the murder of a 15 year old
schoolgirl and the apparent suicide of her boyfriend.
After being sent down from an Oxford college and a short time in
the Royal Signals Corp, Morse has joined the police. At the
opening of the episode, he is disillusioned with the police and is
writing a resignation letter. He is seconded from Carshaw New
Town police with a number of other detectives to the Oxford City
police as a junior member of a team of detectives.
The investigation leads to sex parties where under-age girls are
procured for politicians, businessmen, Oxford dons, and
policemen which in particular make the sifting of evidence very
difficult. Morse was a student of Oxford university, which gives
him an advantage and disadvantage from an insular Oxon
system, but initially arrives at a wrong conclusion.
At one point, he tenders the pre-written resignation letter.
However, the Inspector in charge, Fred Thursday recognising he
is a detective he can trust takes him under his wing. Thursday is
determined to break the case and bring it to a successful
conclusion together with Morse.
