Jessica Fletcher has had plenty to worry about over her storied career, both as a bestselling novelist and as an amateur sleuth. But she never had any reason to worry about her longtime publisher and trusted friend, Lane Barfield. When mounting evidence of financial malfeasance leads to an FBI investigation of Lane, Jessica can't believe what she's reading.

So when Barfield turns up dead, Jessica takes on the task of proving his innocence. Sure enough, Jessica's lone-wolf investigation turns up several oddities and inconsistencies. Jessica knows something is being covered up, but what exactly? The trail she takes to answer that question reveals something far more nefarious is afoot, involving shadowy characters from the heights of power in Washington. At the heart of Jessica's investigation is a manuscript Barfield had intended to publish, after all other publishers had turned it down. The problem is the manuscript has disappeared, with all traces of its submission and very existence having been wiped off the books.

With her own life now in jeopardy, Jessica refuses to back off and sets her sights on learning the contents of that manuscript and what about it might have led to several murders. Every step she takes brings her closer to the truth of what lies in the pages, as well as to the person who penned them.