Taviscombe's veterinary practice is facing closure unless they can find a new partner to invest money in the business. Enter Malcolm Hardy; tall, good looking and rich enough to save the surgery. But soon he has offended most of the town, accusing a colleague of malpractice and installing his girlfriend as a veterinary assistant. As far as Sheila Malory is concerned, there is nothing to like about the new vet. But despite his unpopularity it is still a shock when Hardy collapses and dies at the surgery. When the post-mortem reveals unnatural death, suspicion falls on his former colleagues. Could somebody at the practice be a killer? Or might Hardy have other enemies with murder in mind?