Henry Staunton is a self-important, prosperous man not without self-esteem. He is utterly distressed to find his new Grace Chalice (the celebrated golden cup that had cost him a pretty penny) missing from the safe, securely built into the wall and hidden behind a looking-glass in his office. A man who values his privacy enormously, Staunton chooses not to involve the police and instead approaches Holmes, who is intrigued by the mystery. All the while, Esme Freeling, a criminal Holmes was partly responsible for having locked up has escaped from Chelmsford Prison.
