Richard Poole, field security investigator/troubleshooter for TransAtlas Corporation, is sent to Leeland, Illinois, to investigate a troubled subsidiary, LeeLand Mall. Arriving just before Christmas, Poole finds himself embroiled in a case involving the murder of two elves, Santa's Helpers, discovered in the mall. Poole works with local law enforcement people to solve the murders, in the process delving into the strange history of Leeland and its founder, Epaphimandas Lee. Santa Claus himself (i.e., the mall Santa) is subsequently found murdered, and many interesting connections must be investigated before the murders are solved.

Richard Poole, an American, and security investigator for the international TransAtlas Corporation, becomes embroiled in multiple murders while attending a conference on group psychodynamics at Ashpole Manor in England. Poole, while somewhat amused by various British customs and turns of phrase, joins his new friend Amanda to help the local inspector solve the crimes, which, as it turns out, are linked by several threads, some of which seem related to espionage activities of WWII.