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.

Barnaby and Winter are called to the stately home of a master beekeeper after he is injured attempting to apprehend a thief. The village of Granville Norton is abuzz with news of the missing bees, and suspicions fly when one of the locals is stung to death.