Wispy Fescue runs a detective agency with his colleagues, Strangely Drye and Miss Wanda Cushway. They've had a few unlikely successes, but recently there's been a conspicuous lack of wires looking for their services. If they're ever to make a name for themselves, they need a high-profile case – and soon.

Wispy's chance presents itself with the conviction of Miss Josephine Leighton, the prospective parliamentary candidate for Lewisham West, who is found guilty of murdering her fiancé in a preposterous miscarriage of justice. He and his colleagues are tasked with finding crucial evidence to overturn the conviction. Their mission takes them from Norfolk across England and over the Channel, and they take every opportunity to indulge in the local gastronomy on their travels.

With only thirteen days until the sentencing, can Wispy find the real killer and save Josephine from the hangman's noose?