The peace of the seemingly idyllic village of Badger's Drift is shattered by the inexplicable murder of an old lady, Emily Simpson, found dead in her cottage after witnessing something unsettling in the woods. Her old friend, Lucy Bellringer, is convinced that Emily's death was not from natural causes. The investigation of DCI Barnaby and Detective Sergeant Troy of Causton CID uncovers a web of sinister events, some long buried in the past.