Desperate to emerge from the shadow of his late father, Sir William Fescue better known as Wispy sets up his own detective agency in April 1920 along with his friend from the Western Front and fellow gourmand, Strangely, and feisty Oxford graduate and keen entomologist Miss Wanda Cushway.

Flushed with success of their first case in solving the murder of Viscount George Thurmaston, they are plunged headlong into a mission to find Florence, the missing daughter of shipbuilding magnate and ruthless businessman Sir Chester Eastoff.

Ransom notes and gruesome threats are delivered, sparking a race against time which takes Wispy, Strangely and Wanda across England, Scotland, Germany and France in planes, trains, and automobiles. Tracking down a kidnapper is hungry work, though, and they never miss an opportunity to indulge in the local gastronomy.

Will Florence be rescued in time? Will the real culprits be caught and brought to justice? And will Wispy and his agency achieve another success and solve this high-profile case, or was his father right all along?