Opening Moose on the Roof Books in Currier and Ives-quaint Vermont is a long-held dream for retirees Emma and George Nielsen. Little do they know their small town of Mill River is a hotbed of long-simmering animosities and tensions.
When they invite a local author to hold a series of talks on her book about death, they unwittingly set off a chain of events that lead to a sudden and ugly death on an oppressive summer evening.
The attendees, including the town's trusted silver-haired pharmacist, the beloved and gentle veterinarian, and a young Appalachian herbalist, all have murderous intentions, motives, and means. Love and revenge permeate this small community.
In a Hitchcockian moment at the bookstore, the apparent killer is finally revealed, threatening the Nielsens' lives and their livelihood.
Someone, however, is keeping a secret.