As war rages in Europe, the citizens of London flee to the country. At Pigeonsford, a group of guests plays cards, drinks tea, and acts polite€"but Grace Morland knows the strong emotions that lurk beneath the placid social surface. She€s painfully in love with Stephen Pendock, the squire of Pigeonsford, but Pendock€s smitten with young beauty Francesca Hart. One afternoon, Fran debuts a new hat, and Grace€s jealousy gets the better of her. She exclaims, €œI wouldn€t be seen dead in a ditch in a thing like that!€ She will soon be proven wrong.

 

Grace is found dead with the hat on her head€"and her head removed from her neck. To the scene comes the incomparable Inspector Cockrill, who finds that far more than petty jealousy lies beneath this hideous murder.