A Bag of Bones and a Barrel of Stones is a fascinating insight into the search of the missing remains of Ralph Mountjoy, chief accountant to the Royal Treasury in 1563. During alterations to the chancel of the local church over 400 years after his death, the discovery of the empty coffin comes to light. The bishop commissions the local vicar to set up a committee to research what happened to the remains of Ralph Mountjoy. It takes a year, many meetings and a great deal of travelling before, albeit accidentally, the mystery is solved.