The stage is set for murder in the Playhouse Mystery series...Talented costumer, Merritt Andrews journeys to the wilds of South Dakota's Black Hills to spend the summer working for a popular stock theatre in Custer State Park. Merritt quickly settles into her position as assistant costume designer for Dakota, an original musical about South Dakota's rich history. When she's not designing fabulous costumes, Merritt explores the enchanting landscape of mysterious granite spires, vast prairies and high rolling peaks. She makes friends with members of the cast and crew, with romance sizzling under the spell of Ranger Josh Ford. Dakota is off to a promising start, until Chet Rawlins, a talented, yet despised actor meets a poisonous death. With a murderer on the loose, Merritt relies on her sleuthing skills to unravel a dangerous trail of clues. It is a life or death race, before the killer strikes again.