Sheila Malory's old friends Charlie and Jo Hamilton run a popular riding school in the quiet English town of Taviscombe. When Charlie is found dead in his stables from a blow to the head, with only his horses as witnesses to his final moments, the entire community is shaken. Especially since Charlie's is just the first in a series of shocking and suspicious deaths. Mrs. Malory is on the case, but the trail of clues, from an unlucky horseshoe to a lethal electric fence, proves to be anything but a smooth ride.