The plot thickens as the Master himself dies, and the various fellows, including the Machiavellian history don Gilbert Devlin, compete to be his replacement. Meanwhile the list of people who might have wanted Peter Devanti dead keeps growing. Nearly everyone connected with the college had a reason to hate Devanti or want him removed, including anyone with ambition to be Master, since Devanti himself was the obvious candidate to succeed. Most of the female characters had affairs with and were abandoned by Devanti, including Zoe and Patricia. Even the Bursar has been wounded by Devanti, as his sole academic venture was plagiarized by the television historian before its official publication.