During a masquerade ball at an English country estate with a valuable collection of artifacts on display there is a shot, the lights go out, and a robbery ensues. It’s soon followed by an entertaining, if unsuccessful, chase of the thief by the costumed revelers. Chief Constable Sir Clinton Driffield’s investigation discovers the robbery was planned as a practical joke that has gone awry. There are conflicting clues, unclear motives, and then even deaths which may or may not be related to the theft.

The country estate is a charming character in its own right, with interesting features like “fairy houses” maintained through generations due to a clause in a will, a family curse, a museum for precious artifacts, secret passages, ruins, and an old quarry.