Althea Graham's hypochondriac mother seldom visits the gazebo--yet she is found dead in it one morning. The Graham estate had once enjoyed a rural view, but now the grounds are part of suburban London and the gazebo is an anachronistic summerhouse. Scotland Yard becomes suspicious of Althea and her fiancé, the dashing foreign correspondent Nicholas Carey, because the death of her mother frees them to be married at last. Miss Silver is fortunately a friend of Althea sand comes to the rescue, complete with knitting needles, a gentle smile, and the perception of a mind reader.