In Overture to Death by Ngaio Marsh, a murder occurs during an amateur theatrical performance in a Dorset village. Chief Detective-Inspector Alleyn and his colleague Fox are dispatched from Scotland Yard to investigate.

The play was planned to finance a new piano for the parish hall. Two elderly maiden ladies, Miss Campanula and Miss Prentice, are rivals for the right to play the overture. Miss Campanula is the victim, and Miss Prentice is her friend who may have been the intended victim.

As Alleyn arrives on the scene, he must first discover if the murderer has cast the right woman as victim.