Plot Synopsis

Based on Agatha Christie's book of the same name and adapted by writer Sarah Phelps, THE PALE HORSE is a two-part story set in London in 1961. Mark Easterbrook has everything a man could dream of -- he's rich, successful and popular, with a beautiful new wife and perfect home. But scratch beneath the surface and he's still grief-stricken by the loss of his first wife Delphine. When Mark's name is discovered on a piece of paper in a dead woman's shoe everything starts to fall apart for him. Why did Jessie Davies die, why is Mark's name on a piece of paper in her shoe, and who are the other names on the list? Detective Inspector Lejeune interviews Mark and mentions that the names Tuckerton and Ardingly were also on the list. Mark has a connection with Thomasina Tuckerton and David Ardingly -- and Thomasina is also dead...As Mark tries to work out why he is on the list and what it means, everything seems to lead back to the village of Much Deeping. His first wife, Delphine, visited the area on the day of her death. Much Deeping seems to be an idyllic English village, but it is also a place of old traditions and strange beliefs, a place of witches, curses and spells. Jessie's employer Zachariah Osborne tells Mark that witchcraft played a part in Jessie's death, which Mark angrily rejects. But then he is sent a mysterious corn dolly. As more people named on the list are found dead, Mark starts to fear for his own life and sanity. Mark is consumed with paranoia, fearful that his life is at risk and that the perpetrator is someone known to him. Mark feels his own death treading on his heels, breathing down his neck. To make matters worse, Detective Inspector Lejeune seems to be increasingly suspicious of him, and Mark feels even more alone. He's determined to find a rational explanation because there has to be one -- this is the 1960s not the Dark Ages. Past and present collide for Mark as his investigations uncover the ties between Delphine and the trio of 'witches' at Much Deeping, putting his relationship with second wife Hermia under great strain. Terrified, Mark becomes hell-bent on uncovering the nature of the witches' powers and their work at The Pale Horse. With each passing day, each disquieting moment, each tormented, terrifying night, Osborne's beliefs seem less fantastical and more plausible. Mark starts to believe in the craft, in the dark arts, in the witches' peculiar skills. If they are truly as powerful as they seem, can they save him from his nightmares, before whoever wants him dead catches up with him? How far will he go to save himself?

AGATHA CHRISTIE: THE PALE HORSE had its U.S. premiere on Friday, March 13, 2020 at 3:01am ET/12:01am PT, as Amazon Prime released both episodes.