Seattle bed and breakfast owner Judith McMonigle Flynn and her cousin Renie get more than they bargained for when they agree to help a friend by caring for her elderly mother at the family`s estate. It seems that the ailing widow thinks that someone is trying to murder her. Ironically, it`s the family doctor who ends up bludgeoned to death and left at the bottom of the staircase. Always prepared for intrigue, Judith and Renie embark on a treacherous search for the killer that takes them through the Burgess` haunting family history.