The continuing adventures of Charley LeBlanc, who--in this volume--travels to West Virginia to visit his girlfriend, only to find that Aunt Jessie, an ancient mountain woman who was also a chicken farmer, has been found dead. When Charley investigates, he finds that the main suspect is a young girl named Esmeralda, whom Charley has known all his life--and who he knows is innocent. But can he prove it?