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.

Two years have passed since Cecily Sinclair sold the Pennyfoot Hotel to her cousin and moved to London. When offered the job of managing the hotel again, though, she finds it hard to refuse. She has since married her own manager, Hugh Baxter, and when the couple return to Badger's End, Cecily is embroiled in another mystery; a housemaid goes missing and a prominent barrister also disappears.

It's a Christmas reunion, but the festivities will have to go on hold while Cecily once more goes on the hunt for a killer.