Holed up at Hilary Bill-Tasman's manor estate for Christmas, Troy Alleyn is to paint the man's portrait and, while she's there, view the Druid Christmas pageant. Along with a pack of eccentric guests, Troy enjoys the festivities - until one of the pageant's players mysteriously disappears into the snowy night. Did the hired help - each a paroled murderer from the nearby prison - have a deadly hand in this Christmas conundrum? Inspector Roderick Alleyn arrives to join his wife in finding the lost man - and unravelling the glaring truth from the glittering tinsel.