Josh and Emily Flanagan return to their hometown in upper Michigan where they open a funky antique shop which they hope will provide a sane and comfortable retirement. Both have pursued successful careers in Manhattan, she as an appraiser of antiques for an auction house and he as an insurance adjuster in the field of art and antiques. A man seeking to purchase an antique doll for his ailing grandchild opens up a Pandora's Box of hidden family secrets and intrigue that results in bitter hostility and murder. Josh and Emily, through brilliant deduction and imaginative enterprise discover the clues that lead to the solution that lies at the heart of this mystery. As characters they are similar in conception to the witty bantering loving couple, Nick and Nora Charles of the famed Thin Man series created by the mystery writer Dashiell Hammett.