The Confession (which comprises the middle section of the novel) is an autobiographical account of the life of Robert Wringhim and, "passim", his statement on the crimes with which his name was associated. The document is revealed to be in part a printed document intended for publication and in part a handwritten manuscript. The first section narrates events retrospectively. It is followed by events recounted "in real time", describing events during his last days on earth. It has been proposed that the evangelical Lady Colquhoun and her husband, James, were the models for the character of Rabina and George Colwan.