Holly Folly is approaching, and Sydney Riley is feeling far from festive. She hasn't heard from her boyfriend in weeks, a mysterious stranger has crashed into her beloved "little green car," and, in a moment of temporary insanity, she's invited her parents for the holidays. She's convinced things could not possibly get worse--until she stumbles over a body at the lighting of the lobster pot Christmas tree.

As if this is not enough, when a gold coin and nameplate of a missing fishing boat are discovered, she's asked to investigate the unsolved mystery of a murdered fisherman. While Provincetown is aglow with holiday lights and events, Sydney, Provincetown's unofficial sleuth, is in the dark but determined to uncover the motive for both murders.