For year-round Vineyard residents J.W. Jackson and his wife, ​Zee, winter brings its own beauty, with uncrowded streets and cozy nights by the fire, but it can also bring danger.

There's a chill in the air one January day when J.W. receives a surprising visit from long-ago pal Clay Stockton. Clay has come to J.W. not to relive the reckless days of their youth but to ask J.W. for help.

He's in big trouble and needs to lie low on the Vineyard. And it isn't just Clay who needs J.W.'s assistance; J.W.'s pal Bonzo has made a frightening discovery and becomes a "person of interest" to the police.

With two friends in trouble and his own family receiving threats, J.W. must summon all of his investigative skills to try to restore order to his beloved island home, where fishing and good food should always take precedence over murder.