Railroaded to an insane asylum twenty years ago by four men who had taken over his newspaper, Lucius Marplay, publisher of the London Sun, escapes with the sole intent of murdering the four men responsible for his plight; Mark Peters, Sinclair Ellis, Nigel Partridge and Amos Craven. One by one, their advance obituaries appear in print, giving the exact day and hour on their impending deaths. And each future-obit becomes true for all but Peters. Also working on the case are Joan Marplay, the daughter who thought her father dead until his escape, and Noel Stretton, the star columnist for the 'Sun.' Plus, a strange character with a Scottish accent, Alistar McNab, of being on the scene at just the right time. Strangely enough, The London Tribune, continues to scoop the 'Sun' on the murders within its own building.