The Patient, known as Mrs. Wingfield, has been horribly injured in a fall from her balcony. Unable to communicate, it could have been an accident, attempted suicide or worse still a coldblooded killer bent on murder. While relatives gather around her hospital bed the tension builds as an ingenious device helps Mrs. Wingfield convey a message that could solve the mystery.
The love between a mother and daughter turns to jealousy and bitterness in this intense and personal drama. Ann Prentice falls in love with Richard Caulfield and hopes for a new life and happiness. Only her daughter, Sarah, takes an instant, jealous dislike to him. Resentment slowly corrodes their relationship as each seeks comfort in the formidable and knowing Dame Laura Whitstable who remarks, “The trouble with sacrifice is that once it’s made it’s not over and done with.”“Christie is...