Eliza Hillman,the lead character in a daytime drama, had been found dead in a dressing room. Portia Redvers, her recently appointed understudy is the main suspect not only because she was in the building when the murder took place, and not ony because Eliza's body was found in her dressing room but because with Eliza dead, Portia has been immediately elevated from understudy to lead character. This is enough for D.I. James McCulloch to cast her in the role of prime suspect - a role that Portia isn't used to playing especially when no one's given her a script.

Determined to prove her innocence, and impress the divine D.I. James McCulloch, Portia decides that she must find the murderer herself. In doing so, she discovers more than one person had reason to murder Eliza.