Murders, a mysterious gemstone, and lost manuscripts offer banished British reporter Tosca Trevant a chance to earn her way back to her beloved Cornwall and her job in London. The strange events and characters at her new California island home include a woman dropping dead practically at Tosca's feet, a famous author's lost manuscripts, and a creepy collector of rare stringed instruments. With her sidekick, an ex-Secret Service Agent, and several jugs of home-brewed mead, she digs deep to track down the killer.