The Pennyfoot hides many secrets, and its downstairs staff keeps a tight lip, even when the Edwardian aristocrats are spotted dallying with damsels in the boudoirs or gambling in the card rooms hidden below the floorboards. Should now and then one of the hotel guests fall prey to a dastardly murderer, however, it is up to Cecily Sinclair to restore order before Scotland Yard steps in and shuts down her infamous seaside hotel.

Excitement abounds in the ballroom of the Pennyfoot Hotel when the Great Denmarric opens the doors of his magic box to prove he had made his assistant disappear. When he opens them again to reveal her return, however, no one is more surprised than the magician to find the box empty. The assistant has vanished—only to turn up murdered.

The constable has put the ballroom off limits, and Cecily has to find the killer before her guests start disappearing.