 Irwin Molyneux, an austere botanist, and Margaret, his spendthrift, conceited wife, are in trouble: their cook has just left them without notice. And this is just the time chosen by Archibald Soper, bishop of Bedford and Irwin s cousin, to invite himself to dinner. Margaret decides to cook the meal herself but Soper, a greedy, sanctimonious zealot, must not know about this degrading situation, which is why she asks Irwin to make his importunate guest believe that she has left home for a while. Archibald, who just preached against a crime story writer called Chapel and who is nervous because a killer roams the neighboring streets, gets suspicious when Irwin babbles vague answers to his questions about Margaret s absence. Jumping to conclusions, he is persuaded that Irwin has murdered his wife and informs the police. Now, it happens that Felix Chapel and Irwin Molyneux are the same person. Unfortunate Irwin finds himself accused of poisoning his wife, just like in one of his detective stories...