A former friend, a runaway mother, and a dead body threaten to spoil a middle-aged woman's plan for a low-key family Thanksgiving.

Cece Cavanaugh's latest job recommendation, cleaning up a flooded school, comes from a former friend—a woman who turned her back when Cece needed her friendship most. Despite having to face her friend, Cece accepts the job, hoping to earn additional cash for her family Thanksgiving dinner.

When Cece finds herself in the janitor's workroom, ankle-deep in mud, checking the pulse of her friend's ex-husband, the job takes an unexpected turn and insures the arrival of hunky Detective Case Alder. With her divorce from her trust-fund husband just days away, Cece is determined to keep her emotions in check and avoid the detective's advances.

As the investigation gets underway, Alder asks for Cece's help eavesdropping on the suspects. She is eager to oblige, but instead of listening as he requested, Cece begins questioning faculty and gathering evidence. To compound her problems, Cece's elderly mother arrives in Wickford—baggage in hand—after having left her new husband.

Despite a threatening note, a series of false leads, and wrangling her runaway mother, Cece narrows down the suspects, but will the killer seal her fate before Cece can solve the case?