South Bend detective Phil Knight isn't interested in the intellectual pursuits of his brother Roger, a Notre Dame professor, at least not until they lead to intriguing cases for Phil to investigate. The trouble begins when valuable Zahm artifacts go missing. Then another man interested in Zahm turns up dead on campus.

"With the Fighting Irish set to square off against Georgia Tech, Roger Knight, the rotund professor of Catholic studies, and his brother Philip, a semi-retired P. I. , know that Notre Dame fans will be out in force. The faithful swear that on game day the entire campus comes alive to cheer on the football team, and they dont have to look any further than Touchdown Jesus or Fair Catch Corby, a statue of a Civil War chaplain who seems to be signaling...

When David Williams returns to campus to renege on a pledge donation, one of his former classmates sends a letter confessing to the murder and secret burial of one of their closest friends decades ago. Roger and Philip set about the task of unearthing the body but discover a much bigger mystery.