James returns to Darrowby after serving in World War II to resume veterinary practice with Siegfried and Tristan Farnon; the practice must face the challenge of accelerating scientific progress in veterinary medicine.

Clad in tweed and puffing on a pipe, Detective Inspector Purbright pursues the evildoers of Flaxborough with a doggedness that belies his polite conversation and mild manner. Although the quiet country town appears all gentility, beneath the surface lies a darker world of deception, intrigue, treachery, and infidelity.