Barron again features Jane Austen as the protagonist in this historical mystery set by the English seaside. When the Austen`s carriage tips over on the road to Lyme, Jane is forced to seek help from Geoffrey Sidmouth, the master at High Down Grange, to aid her injured sister. With sister Cassandra now on her way back to London, Jane is left to wander the town of Lyme on her own. Inevitably, she finds a mystery. It seems that someone is smuggling luxury goods from France in the midst of a war between the two countries, and all signs point toward Jane`s rescuer, Geoffrey, and his mysterious French cousin, Seraphine.