Quaint, sleepy Long Piddleton becomes the scene of bizarre and grisly murders. There's no lack of suspects with secrets to hide and skeletons in the closet, however. Scotland Yard sends their best man to investigate: Chief Inspector Richard Jury. For the first time, Inspector Jury is assisted by brilliant aristocrat Melrose Plant, whom he takes to be conceited fop, to begin with. As different as the two men are in method and temperament, still they strike up an unlikely friendship. Pity they're both interested in the same woman, of course: beautiful Vivian Rivington.