A man returns from the dead & the body of a mysterious stranger is found in his room A few weeks after marrying an attractive young widow Gordon Cloade is tragically killed by a bomb blast in the London blitz Overnight the former Mrs Underhay finds herself in sole possession of the Cloade family fortune Shortly afterwards Hercule Poirot receives a visit from the dead man's sister-in-law who claims she has been warned by spirits' that Mrs Underhay's first husband is still alive Poirot has his suspicions when he is asked to find a missing person guided only by the spirit world Yet what mystifies Poirot most is the woman's true motive for approaching him