AP is Edward Hale, is the choreographer reviving a ballet with a dark past. Ballerinas who danced the role in the past, died. There have been a few incidents already and Jessica Fletcher has been invited to visit by the current ballerina and her husband, the director of the theater.

Edward is involved with an up and coming ballerina who wants the lead and is busily blackmailing him to get it. If it becomes known that he's abusing substances again, he will lose his position and have a hard time finding another one.

There are several people who'd like to see the conniving twit dead and when she does die during the first performance, the police have a field day. As usual, Jessica manages to get past all of the red herrings and proves that poor Edward did it.

The story is pretty good. AP manages to make Hale sympathetic and there's a tendency to ask Jessica to butt out for once.