Evangeline Sinclair and Trixie Dolan, long-time stars of stage and screen, dash down to Brighton to stand by an old friend in her hour of need. And with an opening night looming, an unsatisfactory leading man, and the sudden demise of her ancient but much-loved Pekinese, Dame Cecile Savoy needs all the support she can get. Trixie feels a bit peculiar herself when she realizes the late-lamented Fleur-de-Lys is not going to be buried in a doggy cemetery, but is to be stuffed for posterity. And she feels even more unsteady when she and Evangeline enter the taxidermist's to discover the corpse of the owner...