苏茉儿出身在一个草原家庭，与多尔衮不打不相识。战乱爆发，失去家人的苏茉儿投奔多尔衮，两人暗生情愫，却因多尔衮坠崖而失散。此时，苏茉儿偶遇儿时玩伴诺敏，但诺敏一心攀附权势，为了上位抛弃了自己。苏茉儿成为布木布泰的贴身侍女后，与其建立了姐妹情谊。可造化弄人，失忆的多尔衮出现了，并将与布木布泰结婚。就在苏茉儿准备成全他们时，多尔衮恢复记忆，两人决定远走高飞。伤心的布木布泰嫁给了腹黑而狠心的皇太极。为了姐妹情谊，苏茉儿放弃爱人随布木布泰进了宫。而昔日姐妹诺敏，爱上了多尔衮的弟弟多铎，却发现多铎爱着苏茉儿，心生嫉妒的她屡次迫害苏茉儿，甚至不惜使手段嫁给了多尔衮。在一系列的斗争后， 皇太极被害死，布木布泰得了失心疯，苏茉儿的哥哥死于多尔衮箭下，诺敏被赐死。苏茉儿历经沧桑，一路辅佐福临、康熙登基，孤老而终。

When a series of apparently minor thefts plagues a university hostelry run by Miss Lemon's sister, Poirot is recruited to investigate. Celia Austin, a pharmacological major, confesses that she is a kleptomaniac and responsible for most of the thefts but denies stealing several objects including a stethoscope, light bulbs, and a student rucksack. Furthermore, she claims to know the other thief and vows to help return the missing items. Unfortunately someone substitutes an overdose of morphine for one of her sleeping powders, and she takes the identity of the thief to the grave. Japp connects the murderer's m.o. with a cold case he had investigated ten years earlier, but the prime suspect in that crime, a powerful statesman, now lies dying in a local hospital. Despite numerous obstacles, Poirot is able to link the killing to an international diamond smuggling ring but not before the murderer claims more victims.

弗令一家人经历上次那场可怕的遭遇后，举家迁居到新的地方，希望从此平安无事。但是地狱里的恶灵并未罢手，又次正蠢蠢欲动准备再度侵袭。