On a blustery night, a stranger collapses in the audience attending a magic show in Emerald Hill, a sleepy village in Eastern Ontario, Canada. The next morning, Daisy Blossom's dog, Friday, adopts a ragtag child named Aster Blossom, a distant relative who mysteriously appears at the farm, hungry and alone. Emily Blossom, Daisy's sister-in-law and a self-appointed detective, suspects the death at the show is in fact a murder. Considering her advancing age and frailty, how will the aspiring sleuth follow the threads of small-town gossip to unravel the sordid truth? She enlists the help of her reluctant sidekick, antique dealer Pete Picken, to help her solve the crime. Meanwhile, Daisy, a confirmed spinster, copes with the dilemma of raising Aster, while a naughty school pony and friendly farm animals teach the girl valuable lessons about life. In this mystery novel, through unpredictable twists and turns, Detective Emily Blossom is determined to track down a killer and reveal secrets that reach far beyond the town's limits.