When a tramp is found murdered in the woods near the village of Marshwood, Superintendent Ronald Pringle quickly arrests a local poacher for the crime and retires in a blaze of glory. However, Barnaby suspects an innocent man has been arrested, and when a second body is found under suspicious circumstances, it starts to look like Superintendent Pringle has rushed to judgement.

The residents of Midsomer Mallow fear for their chances in The Perfect Village competition when Peter Drinkwater, a local thief and womaniser, is brutally killed with a pitchfork.