Recently discharged from the British military following the end of WWII, Roger Liddiard looks for a secluded village to move to. His previous success as an author makes him financially able to go where he wants, and he picks the remote hamlet of Westease, where he buys a working mill. Within months of moving in, Roger has made the acquaintance of a retired professor, with whom he fills some empty nights in educational conversations. Other denizens of the town include a noted—yet somewhat disagreeable—artist, and the local parson and his family, including Mary, his attractive daughter, to whom Roger becomes attracted. When one of this small circle of inhabitants is murdered in a most unconventional manner, Roger becomes involved in the investigation, and records his observations for readers.