A shocking view of the notorious murder trial of a married woman and her teenage lover. Alma Rattenbury was married to a man 30 years her senior. In 1934 she advertised in the Bournemouth Echo for a 'daily willing lad, 14-18, for housework'. Within a month they were lovers, and within a year they were in the dock of the Old Bailey, on trial for the murder of Alma's husband.

This is Terrence Rattigan’s final play and deals excitingly with this celebrated case. Swiftly moving from the intimate lives of the people concerned to gripping trial scenes, it is an enthralling and moving piece of theatre. The play was inspired by the facts of the famous case. However, the characters attributed to the individuals represented are from the author’s imagination and not necessarily factual.