[1] The plot concerns a tontine formed by a group of wealthy men weeks before the 1929 stock market crash, and a butler named Keggs who, having overheard the planning of the scheme, years later decides to try to make money out of his knowledge.

The novel features Bill Hollister and Roscoe Bunyan, the sons of two of the men who set up the tontine.

Acting on a suggestion from Mortimer Bayliss, the curator of Bunyan's art collection, the group decide to have fun with their money by making a sort of tontine: Bunyan and nine other millionaires contribute fifty thousand dollars each to a fund, and the last son of the men to get married will receive all the money plus the compound interest accumulated.

Retired butler Augustus Keggs is the landlord of three neighbouring homes in London suburb Valley Fields: Castlewood, Peacehaven, and The Nook.

He hires private detective Percy Pilbeam to get back his letters to her mentioning marriage to avoid a breach of promise case.

Jane wants Mr Gish to sell pictures from the Uffenham family collection kept at Shipley Hall.

When Bill abruptly asks Jane to marry him over the telephone, she gasps and ends the call.

To inspire Jane to feel concern for Bill, Uffenham hits him with a tobacco jar.

The intimidating appearance of Mr Billson compels Roscoe to renew his engagement to Emma, and split the tontine money evenly with Bill and pay Keggs.

Under the title Something Fishy, the story was published in two parts in Collier's (US) on 31 August and 14 September 1956, with illustrations by Ronald Searle.

[1] Something Fishy was also published in three parts in John Bull (UK) from 29 September to 13 October 1956, with illustrations by Edwin Phillips.