When Thea Osborne agrees at the last minute to house-sit for Oliver Meadows, she expects a few days of peace with her spaniel, Hepzie. Uncomfortable with the news of her mother§s sudden involvement with an old flame, and herself unsure of how to deal with her feelings for Drew Slocombe, Thea hopes that some time alone in the historic town of Winchcombe will help to clear her head. But with the disturbing discovery of a dead body in the gardens of the house, she quickly finds herself at the heart of a sinister mystery.