When Inez Buchanan's beloved neighbor dies, family and friends believe it was a heart attack. Six months later Gaelen's grown daughters think differently. They suspect their father was murdered and attempt to get a reluctant Inez involved. But after two police are killed, terrorists become suspects, and one of Gaelen's daughters goes missing, Inez dives into the investigation using intuition and keen observation.

With the help of her former student, Inez is no longer a reclusive, retired African American schoolteacher, but an amateur sleuth, who grabs the attention of brazen international spies and the CIA.