Journalist Rona Parish is writing a series of articles on the quaint English village of Buckford, which is preparing to celebrate its 800th anniversary. Taking a room with local resident Nuala Banks, Rona begins to profile the unusual characters who have lived in the village. Nuala is quick to introduce Rona to her aunt, local eccentric Edna Rosebury, who is a bit nutty but nevertheless knows more than most residents about the death of a four-year-old girl years earlier. When Rona is attacked by an unknown assailant, and Edna turns up dead, Rona begins to discover some dark secrets lurking behind Buckford's pleasant facade.