A butcher's son and a choirboy have been murdered in rural Dorset. Inspector Jury sees a connection between the murders and a previous gruesome crime. A mother was murdered in front of her daughter, five-year-old Teresa, who suffered trauma and hasn't spoken a word since. Sam Waterhouse, the mother's lover, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder and is now free. Together with his assistant Wiggins and his aristocratic friend Melrose Plant, Inspector Jury ventures into the foggy region to shed light on the confusing darkness. The trail leads him to the country estate of the Ashcrofts, the wealthiest family in the area.

A series of bizarre deaths keeps an English village in suspense. Scotland Yard's best man is soon convinced: there's a killer at work! In Ashdown Dean - a village where no murder ever happens - Lady Agatha Ardry suddenly discovers one body after another.

A tricky case for Inspector Jury and his (ex-)aristocratic friend Melrose Plant: In Rackmoor, a picturesque Yorkshire harbor town, a woman dressed as a harlequin is murdered. The dead woman is said to be Dillys March, the adopted daughter of the extremely wealthy Colonel Titus Crael, who disappeared 20 years ago and has now unexpectedly returned. His son Julian Crael, however, believes she is an imposter. In his opinion, the woman pretended to be Dillys in order to gain access to Colonel Titus's fortune. Did Julian perhaps kill her?