Several children have died in a measles outbreak in the village of Newton-Upon-Sea. Equally as frightening is what begins to look like an epidemic of murder that may be related in some way to the measles contagion. Dr. Alexandra Gladstone finds herself deeply involved in both threats. Not only is her own life endangered, but the lives of members of her own household are at risks. Her attempts to stop both epidemics are hampered by the reappearance of an old lover who threatens to reveal secrets of Dr. Gladstone's past.