Cock Robin's death can't be ignored by the town of Saddleboro, because it means that something is drastically wrong with the town's ecology. Tony Isidoro threads his way through a maze of clues: Among other things, the town park is overrun with trillions of ants; nights are quiet because there are no frogs singing; the nearby river contains a dangerous amount of an unknown chemical; and the town dump is emitting strange fumes. What does it all add up to? It's a mystery all right, and it's up to Tony to figure out who really killed Cock Robin.