Nora Phillips has made a name for herself with her beloved Charlie Donoahue mystery series but all good things must come to an end. Or so Nora thought when she turned in her most recent manuscript, a departure from her usual cozy mysteries. Instead, her editor has unceremoniously rejected her work, leaving her with mere weeks to come up with another installment of Charlie Donahue before she's forced to pay back her hefty advance. The only problem is that Nora is suffering from a severe case of writer's block. In an effort to distract herself, Nora returns to her alma mater for a trip down memory lane but she gets a bit more than she bargained for when one of her former professors suggests she look into the college's most popular urban legend for inspiration.

Nora begins to dig through the tale that's been passed through generations of Elms students: the story of Catherine, a student who had an illicit affair with a faculty member. When the dalliance ends, Catherine throws herself from the bell tower rather than face the consequences of the relationship. But did she really jump, or was she pushed? Is the college responsible for covering up a decades-old murder? Or is there something far more sinister lurking in the not-so-distant past? Teaming up with a current Elms student- an unlikely partner in crime- Nora finds herself immersed in the details of an unexpected crime that just might repeat itself if she doesn't solve it, and fast.