Nothing short of murder is going to drag headstrong Mara Gilgannon back to her dinky hometown. So murder it is, as she finds herself in Aldoburg, Iowa, unravelling clues surrounding the death of her aunt, a radio personality. The town is sharply divided over Walmart, and Mara suspects that her aunt's staunch opposition to the store's opening may have triggered her murder. No one heeds Mara's suspicions. Not her parents. Not the police chief, who stole Mara's high school girlfriend. And not the beautiful rookie cop, who is driving Mara all kinds of crazy. So Mara herself must find the killer and finish her aunt's battle against the discount giant, all while wrestling with the vagaries of her own heart.