Poirot is invited to spend the weekend relaxing at the estate of his friend, Lady Encaytll, called “The Hollow.” Arriving at the place, the detective sees an amazing sculptural composition: Dr. Christou lies picturesquely in a puddle of red paint, his wife Gerda stands over him with a pistol, and the rest of the guests are frozen around in a “silent pause.” However, reality had nothing in common with art: the red paint turned out to be blood, and the gun in the woman’s hands was real. There is murder. Poirot finds out that the deceased led a rather complicated personal life during his lifetime and all his “attachments” are currently in “The Hollow.” All evidence points to Christou's wife. But Poirot senses that something is wrong here...