When a body is found in Bramford Mere, a marshland outside of Oxford, everyone assumes they are the remains of Dr Matthew Laxman, an Oxford botanist who mysteriously disappeared near the site five years earlier.

As Endeavour and Thursday deal with the heartbreak of Joan's departure, a death at East Cowley Slipper Baths hurls Oxford's Finest into their darkest adventure.

Whispers that Cowley General contains a cursed ward - and a seemingly innocuous death - set off a chain of events that lead Endeavour to investigate.

The so called ‘permissive society’ comes under the spotlight as Endeavour is tasked with protecting conservative social activist, Joy Pettybon, after she receives a death threat while visiting Oxford to promote her ‘Keep Britain Decent’ campaign.