While on holiday in the English seaside town of St. Loo, Poirot and Captain Hastings meet Nick Buckley, a charming young woman who owns End House, a grand but decaying estate. Poirot soon learns that Nick has narrowly escaped several life-threatening accidents, including a falling boulder, tampered car brakes, and a gunshot that just missed her. She dismisses them as coincidences, but Poirot is convinced that someone is trying to kill her.