Morse is taken seriously ill at a museum reception and is hospitalized. In the hospital, Supt. Strange, visits Morse to push him to take early retirement, while Dr. Millicent 'Millie' Van Buren gives him her book on a 140 year-old court case known as the Oxford Canal Murders. The case involved the murder and rape of a young woman, Mrs Joanna Franks, traveling by canal boat from Coventry to London. The case resulted in three boatmen being sentenced to death and two of them hanged. Morse starts to read Millie's book and dreams about it. He soon has a number of problems with the case.　　Why weren't the three men also charged with theft Why did Mrs Franks take a boat instead of a train that was much faster and comfortable and only slightly more expensive Why didn't she abandon the boat after she complained about lewd behavior of the crew at the shipping office in Banbury Why did she then drink and 'socialise' with the crew What happened to her 'carpet bag' with which she arrived on the boat but which was not mentioned in the court case, nor was it stored in the archives with her, almost empty, trunk The trunk was marked with initials of her first husband who had died. How did it happen that her shoes were found on the boat but nobody saw her return to the boat from the forest　　PC Adrian Kershaw does some brilliant leg work for Morse. He studied history and has invaluable background knowledge. For instance, he mentions that the boatmen had bad reputation because they worked on Sundays and did not attend church. Later a chapel was built for them in Oxford.　　The dead woman's clothes and the shoes found on the boat are submitted to modern forensic investigation. The result is that the shoes did not belong to the dead woman found in the water because she was much taller.The shoes were never used in the forest.　　Only Mrs Franks' husband, Charles Franks, was called to identify the body of the dead woman. He claimed that, while her face was darkened and disfigured, he found a birth mark behind her ear. The prosecutor welcomed that information that only a husband or a lover would know. The accused were not shown the body. The defense attorney merely claimed that the guilt of the three men was not proved. All three accused claimed to the end that they were innocent. One of them was not executed because he embraced Christianity in prison.　　Morse instructs Kershaw to investigate if Charles Franks benefited from his wife's death and, indeed, he pocketed 300 pounds insurance money. Case closed Charles Franks murdered a tall women and dropped her in the canal after meeting Joanna in the forest. If Joanna Franks jumped off the boat at the same time as the dead body hit the water, she swam to the bank and joined her husband. The couple changed their names, in the case of 'Charles Franks' a second time after he 'died' as Joanna's first husband. The fourth boatman, a youngster who was not charged, was probably paid by Joanna to give false testimony.　　Morse travels to Ireland and has a grave of Joanna's first husband exhumed. The coffin contains bags of sand and some stones.

《摩斯探长第十一季》是一部英国犯罪剧，讲述了英国牛津市警察局刑侦组的摩斯探长和他的搭档在调查各种犯罪案件中所展开的故事。本剧在第十一季中依然延续了其一贯的精彩和扣人心弦的故事情节，让观众一再为之着迷。

在第十一季中，摩斯探长和他的搭档继续面对各种棘手的犯罪案件，包括谋杀、绑架、诈骗等。在每一集中，他们都要通过调查线索、分析证据和审讯嫌疑人，最终揭开案件真相，将罪犯绳之以法。与此同时，摩斯探长还要应对他自己的个人问题和内心挣扎，努力保持专业和风度，处理与同事、上级和下属之间的关系。

在第十一季中，观众将看到更多的精彩情节和紧张场面。摩斯探长和他的团队将在调查中遭遇各种困难和挑战，包括假证、腐败警官、狡猾的罪犯等。他们必须发挥自己的智慧和勇气，运用专业知识和技巧，以确保案件能够圆满解决。

除了犯罪案件外，第十一季中还将探讨摩斯探长和他的搭档之间的关系和互动。观众将看到他们之间的友谊、信任和合作，也将看到他们之间的磨擦、误解和矛盾。通过这些关系，观众可以更深入地了解主要角色的性格和动机，以及他们所面对的挑战和困境。

总的来说，第十一季将继续展示《摩斯探长》系列的成功之处，以其扣人心弦的剧情、优秀的演员表演和精良的制作水准，吸引观众的眼球，让他们为之着迷。观众可以期待在这一季中看到更多的惊险、悬疑和情感，以及更多的惊喜和 revolts。