The visitors at the Hotel Haut Ton at Hallsea are drifting leisurely through an uneventful winter season, relieved only by their own petty gossip, mainly about themselves, when suddenly they are plunged, one and all, into a baffling murder mystery. Mr. Grange, a universally unpopular resident at Mrs. Goville-Gore's, is found dead in his private rooms by his wife, who, alarmed by a loud crash while dressing for dinner, rushed, as do half the other visitors, to see the cause of the disturbance. She discovers the body of her husband lying beside the shattered remains of a large ornamental vase which formerly stood on the mantel-shelf of their room. Facts all but prove Grange's death to have been an accident, but Inspector Fox discovered something which suggested foul play!