Tennessee Sheriff Tony Abernathy and his small staff are hoping the upcoming celebration of the nation's birthday will be a quiet one. The quilters are hanging a show and antique cars promise to liven up the parade. Life is good. And then it's not. A man's body is found in a tree and suddenly the county's whole population seems embroiled in mischief, mayhem or murder. Sweet little ladies are fighting at funerals. An intruder attacks with a hammer and wrench. A woman is murdered, left in a greenhouse and plants are stolen. Blackmail, midnight memorials and a spy game complicate Tony's job. Theo, his wife, is designing a mystery quilt (pattern included) and gathering clues at her shop, "gossip central."