Meredith Mitchell, who returned to England after a long absence, settles in the village of Pax Common near Bamford, where her friend, Chief Inspector Alan Marcoy, lives. Meredith meets her neighbor Harriet Needham - a rich, beautiful, uninhibited woman and also a passionate hunter. On the second day of Christmas, during the traditional hunting gathering, Harriet unexpectedly falls from her horse in front of a crowd of spectators and dies. Meredith does not believe that her death was an accident and is actively involved in the investigation led by Markby...