Christmas: a time of peace and goodwill. Oh no it isn't, thinks Detective Paul Banham, called out to a suspicious death at the local theatre, right in the middle of the pantomime. Was it an accident - or murder? On the other side of the curtain Banham and his squad find rivalries, grudges and illicit liaisons begin to surface. A second death leaves Banham in no doubt that there's a murderer on the loose - but the panto is sold out and the show must go on.