Tessa Crichton is visiting her friend Elsa, and finds the quiet rural neighborhood in an uproar over the incursions of a wealthy, tasteless widow, who wants everything her way. When Mrs. Trelawney is killed, the police quickly realize that it wasn't just a burglary, but immediately suspicion shifts to Elsa's son Marc, whose fiancee and her family were about to be evicted from their long-time home by Mrs. Trelawney.