Former Hollywood starlet Cora Clarke may be new to England, but she does know that visiting the seaside is supposed to be a soothing experience. The snowy white cliffs and foamy ocean are indeed idyllic, but when her great aunt's employer insists someone is trying to murder her husband, Cora is whisked off to a house party with her pet bichon. When someone soon turns up dead, Cora discovers Sussex might possess scandals that exceed anything a Hollywood director might conjure for the silver screen.