The gentrification of Hemlock Falls, home to innkeeper, artist, and amateur sleuth Sara "Quill" Quilliam, has drawn the attention of Edmund Tree. The host of Your Ancestor's Attic has decided to film an episode in town and everyone is searching attics for hidden treasures—including a burglar. Quill, for one, is not impressed with the obnoxious Tree, nor with his television rival, Belter Barcini, who blows into town for what looks like a ratings-booster showdown: a "friendly" cook-off between two sparring personalities.

It's a good thing Quill and her sister, Meg, are experts at appraising motives for murder when one of the cooks keels over on camera—because the suspects are piling up, and Quill is chosen to play detective.