Julian Shepherd, a bookmaker close to suicide, climbs to the top of Casement Hall in the middle of the night. An
old man, Charles Edmonton, is being kept in the attic. He lets Julian in through a small window. Charles Edmonton is a millionaire who is creating a new method of fuel-less transportation. Julian begs for his money - which is trapped in the latest invention, which Charles insists will be worth every penny.

The next morning, Julian Shepherd is found dead in his car which has been pulled out of the lake. Barnaby takes the case - while Troy is out with a wildlife expert, out bird watching and looking into some dodgy wildlife crimes. Barnaby suspects so far that suicide is a possibility, and his suspicions are confirmed when the housekeeper, Maisie Cullen, thinks he could have driven himself over the edge. His business was failing and he'd split up with his wife and children.

And what about the birds?