"It's odd, isn't it, why farce so often seems to get mixed up with tragedy?"

In the sequel to The Secret of Chimneys, Superintendent Battle must solve a practical joke gone horribly wrong.

Gerald Wade is among the many invited to the Chimneys estate for a party. Rented by Sir Oswald and Lady Coote for the season, it is rather the place to be. Unfortunately, during his stay there Gerry has garnered the teasing of his friends for a particular talent of his: to oversleep. One day the set decides to "fix" the matter with a little joke. The plan is to set out eight alarm clocks in Gerry's room, all set to different times ... as early as 6:30 a.m.! But these alarm clocks don't wake the poor man up.

When they go to check on him, his friends discover that Gerry hasn't overslept this time. In fact, he has been murdered. Two things are immediately apparent: there is a draft of chloral on his nightstand, and one of the eight alarm clocks is missing.

In solving this mystery, some more familiar faces from The Secret of Chimneys will present themselves. And for them, "seven dials" will take on an entirely new and menacing meaning.