"A Bullet in the Ballet" is a radio play adaptation of the 1937 satirical detective novel by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon. The Vladimir Stroganoff Ballet Company, a prestigious Russian troupe now performing in London. The company is preparing for a major performance of Swan Lake when disaster strikes: the tempestuous and temperamental male lead dancer, Vassily Ivanov, is found shot dead in his dressing room.