An old feud between the Hammond and Hicks families appears to have escalated to murder when the grandfather of the Hammonds is executed in Midsomer Parva.

DS Ben Jones returns home to the village of Dunstan when an elderly couple are found dead in their home. Although initial signs point to a botched burglary, DCI Barnaby begins to suspect that the deaths may be connected to Ben's group of childhood friends, and a mysterious disappearance that occurred years earlier.