It is late summer 1942-1943. The close-knit community of Bexford North is brought face to face with one of the by-products of war when one of their own is admitted to the newly established Army Mental Hospital. As the ladies of the village, led by the eccentric Annie Watson, come to know the young hospitalised soldiers - especially the black American soldier - they become alarmed.

In this period of the White Australia Policy, all is not as it seems. Their consternation turns to anguish when murders occur which appear to be motiveless. Inspector Bob Peters and his team have their work cut out to solve the problem - but how do you find a particular mad-man in a mad-house