Disaster strikes at the Sapperton Tunnel in Gloucestershire when a goods
train collides with an unusual blockage on the line: seven sheep penned
onto the tracks. Specially requested to investigate the carnage,
Inspector Colbeck and Sergeant Leeming are confronted with a bizarre
case unlike anything they've encountered before.
Stephen Rydall, board member of the Great Western Railway that manages
the route, is convinced this tragedy is a personal attack on him and
fears for the safety of his shepherd, missing since the incident. Rydall
has many enemies but, as Colbeck will soon discover, the man also has a
closely guarded secret of his own...