When Simone Hollingsworth fails to turn up at bell ringing practice, her fellow Fawcett Green villagers are neither surprised nor concerned. Unfailingly pleasant, extremely beautiful, and really rather dull, Simone has made her mark only as someone who has volunteered for too many activities in the community and stuck with none. It is only the Hollingsworths' neighbors, the vigilant Brockleys, who suspect the worst. They have noticed Simone's husband, Alan, behaving very strangely: slamming doors, burying boxes in the sun-baked garden, and keeping the curtains drawn to all. But even the Brockleys cannot suspect the true reason behind Simone's disappearance.