When a former ballroom-dance champion is found dead with tulle stuffed in her mouth after the opening gala of the Paramount Dance Extravaganza, Barnaby and Winter go toe-to-toe with rival dancers, jealous partners, and suspicious corporate sponsors. Meanwhile, Barnaby contends with a visit from his estranged father.

The worlds of miniature dollhouses and real houses collide when a prolific real-estate agent is shot in front of a crowd at the unveiling of a new dollhouse collection at the Midsomer Museum of the Family. The victim had no small number of enemies: he was an unpopular landlord, an estranged husband with a new lover, and a party to a manslaughter case years ago.

Tensions run high in the village of Solomon Gorge when a fishing competition and extreme obstacle course are scheduled for the same weekend. With each group attempting to sabotage the other, it's not long before someone's life is on the line.