Nothing is as it seems behind the well-trimmed hedges of the picturesque cottages in the idyllic English county of Midsomer. Beneath the tranquil surface of sleepy village life exist dark secrets, scandals and downright evil. John Nettles stars as the humorous, thoughtful and methodical Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby. It is the first day of Oak Apple Week in Midsomer Barton when Marion Slade, a loner suffering from depression is found drowned. It looks like suicide, driven by grief for her dead daughter, a former carnival queen. Barnaby and Jones investigate, but was it suicide or murder? During the investigation, Barnaby is shaken by the appearance of two villagers who look like murder victims from his past. When another body is found, it appears the festivities have stirred up a cocktail of adultery, unrequited love and revenge within the village.