在微风吹拂的萨福克泥滩上，一群鸟儿嘎吱作响，Roy Tunt徘徊其中，他是一个患有轻度强迫症的猎鸟者，看上去有点未老先衰。这一天，他的隐居生活中突然闯进了一个陌生的逃亡者，简短的介绍后，Roy Tunt发现他们能做些共同的交易，但警方的追捕让他们的关系走在了悲剧的边缘。

When old family friend Louisa Oxley visits Miss Marple one stormy night seeking help, Miss Marple decides to send her and her son, Archie, to safety at the labyrinthine estate of Greenshaw's Folly, owned by Miss Marple's good friend Katherine Greenshaw, an eccentric botanist and the last surviving Greenshaw. Louisa becomes Miss Greenshaw's secretary, and quickly attracts the attention of the gardener Alfred Pollock and actor Nat Fletcher. Things turn sinister when the Folly's faithful butler, Walter Cracken, is killed in what appears to be a tragic accident. Then a guest at the house, Horace Bindler, disappears without a trace. Miss Marple is convinced all is unwell, and her suspicions are confirmed when Miss Greenshaw herself is brutally murdered. Suspects are everywhere, but none can imagine the secrets, both past and present, which Miss Marple uncovers.