As Christmas approaches, actress and amateur sleuth Gwinny Tuffel is pondering what gift to buy retired DCI Birch and whether to adopt a new furry friend. Gwinny's festive dilemmas take a mysterious turn when a discovery in her late father's papers unearths his mysterious past and leads to a Somerset commune of retired spies. When Gwinny and Birch are unexpectedly snowed in at the remote farmhouse, they find that skeletons in her father's closet have been joined by a body in the attic. Trapped with a lively Cocker Spaniel, and suspects skilled in deception, tensions mount. And it remains to be seen if Gwinny and Birch will unravel the truth behind the murder in time for Christmas.