Barnaby pays a visit to his beloved Auntie Alice at the Lawnside nursing home, in which she has taken up temporary residence. The bright and perceptive old lady tells him gossip about the mysterious doings at the place, especially in regards to the death of one of the residents whose Cartier watch has vanished. More deaths follow, which is hardly extraordinary at a nursing home filled with men and women in their 80s. Nevertheless, Barnaby suspects something fishy is going on - but he'll have to ignore the red herrings to find out what it is.
Viewers young and old may wonder if they are going senile as they try to figure out the bewildering plot twists and remember which character is which in this unsatisfactorily plotted episode. Still, it's hardly a total loss, since, as usual, we get to meet a lot of interesting people with interesting secrets. And as always the interesting people are played by top-quality actors. I especially enjoyed Phyllis Calvert as Auntie Alice and Nigel Davenport as the crusty old Mr. Smithers.