The Village of Little Auburn has stood abandoned since World War Two but plans are afoot to restore it to its former glory, However, the grand reopening takes a grisly turn when a man is murdered. DCI Barnaby and his new partner, DS Jamie Winter, are soon on the case, and must unravel a web of lies connecting past and present to bring the killer to justice.

At the annual Bellville Hall Small Pet Show, a local estate agent is found stabbed to death amid a herd of escaped rabbits. Could the killer have been an animal-rights activist, or was he or she after one of the prize-winning pets?