The estranged, elderly Gascoigne brothers are found dead within days of each other. The one, Anthony, died in his home in Brighton in circumstances that give no cause for suspicion. The other brother, Henry, an eccentric, reclusive painter, however, has fallen downstairs and been dead for some time before his death is discovered. Poirot had been eating in the same restaurant as Henry just before the death. Henry had been pointed out as a creature of habit, a man who always ate exactly the same meal on every visit. On this last occasion, though, he had had a completely different set of courses, which leads Poirot to suspect foul play.