Tea with two spinsters thrusts 1940s private investigator Maggie Sullivan into an explosive mix of murder, political rivalries and family secrets. Pursuing their case means risking not only her life, but her detective license.

The Vanhorn sisters want her to learn the fate of their father, who vanished more than a quarter century earlier in Dayton, Ohio's, catastrophic 1913 flood. They believe he was murdered. They think they know the killer. But before Maggie can question the suspect, he winds up dead.

With a nip of gin to cheer her and a Smith & Wesson for company, Maggie follows a trail all but obliterated by time. It leads her to a local politician with bigger ambitions — and possibly secrets to hide. It takes her into dime stores, cheap hotels, and a violent ambush by men wearing brass knuckles.

A determined cop wages a wily campaign to win her affections. A rag-tag newsboy pushes to be her assistant. As crimes of the past explode in the present, Maggie fights foes who must destroy her to destroy each other.