In Christmas 1936, the Falchion family is entertaining a houseful of fascist sympathisers, golddigging women, bright young things and bewildered old buffers. The party goes badly wrong when a guest is found murdered and secret files are stolen. The Police, British Intelligence and a lady sleuth are all on the trail - but things are rarely what they seem at Synburn Priory. With guests hopping from bed to bed, spies plotting in deserted summerhouses, society scandals to understand and the disturbingly attractive Margaret Falchion assisting his inquiries, Detective Chief Inspector Golding has his work cut out. When British Intelligence turn up to run a parallel investigation, he begins to understand that this is anything but a traditional Country House Murder.