When the community of Midsomer Parva revives the Straw Woman bonfire festival, tragedy strikes when the local curate Alex Dakin, trapped in a giant straw effigy, is burnt alive.

When one of the bartenders from local village pub, The Maid in Splendour, is found dead in the woods, Barnaby and Scott's investigation uncovers a myriad of secret business dealings, culture clashes, and passionate love affairs.

Midsomer's highbrow literary community is turned upside down when one of their prize-winning young authors, Richard Rackham, is mysteriously murdered on the eve of the 12th Annual Midsomer St. Michael Literary Festival.

DCI Barnaby and Sgt Scott find themselves investigating the bizarre murder of a young, wealthy landowner, Gareth Heldman, whose body turns up with an unusual stab wound to the thigh.

DCI Barnaby's new partner, Sgt. Dan Scott, arrives in Midsomer and is thrown straight into the mysterious murders of two members of the Midsomer Mallow Residents Association. But when the death toll unexpectedly rises, Barnaby becomes concerned for Cully, who is in the midst of organising a 10-year reunion with her old school friends.

When the Midsomer canal tunnel collapses during a restoration project, DCI Barnaby is tasked with identifying the skeletal remains that may have been bricked up inside a wall for decades. Meanwhile, Sergeant Troy is promoted to Inspector, but his celebrations are short lived when he's called out to Midsomer Worthy where a local homeless man has been attacked by a gang of youths.