At the request of his friend Ariadne Oliver (a mystery writer based on Christie herself) Hercule Poirot arrives at a sprawling Devon estate to partake in a weekend game of mock murder. But as the festivities get under way, the victim appears far too dead. Now Poirot and Oliver must find the real clues among the fake ones, discover the true motives among the false ones, and play detective to the very end—before someone else loses more than the game.