When Orville Tudway arrives in the village of Martyr Warren and is swiftly joined by his old arch enemy the Smith clan, the two groups of travellers quickly threaten to shatter the serene peace of the village. Although Barnaby and Troy are initially called to the local manor house to investigate the disappearance of a goose, events take a more macabre turn when the local magistrate owner and antagoniser of the travellers is found dead at his opulent home.