When the sister of Maggy Thorsen's coffeehouse business partner Sarah is hospitalised on the day of their mother's funeral, Maggy is drawn into uncovering the family's darkest secrets . . .

The Kingston family has always been at odds, but Maggy Thorsen hopes that the passing of Edna Mayes Kingston, mother of Sarah Kingston, her Uncommon Grounds coffeehouse partner, might unite them. Alas, few tears are shed over the self-righteous Edna, and the wake is barely over when Edna's body is shuffled off unceremoniously for burial and Sarah's sister Ruth is found unconscious in the family home.

Did Ruth suffer accidental carbon monoxide poisoning or something more sinister? And could there have been more to Ruth's haste to bury Edna than meets the eye? Determined to find out, Maggy and Sarah join forces with Sarah's niece, Arial. As questions mount and family tensions percolate, the presence of a mysterious stranger leads the trio into the past to uncover the darkest of family secrets.