An American version of Miss Marple in 1903, Gracie Evans, a retired spinster farmer, tries to resign herself to the fact she now lives in Moser Mansion, a rest home for women, in Locked Rock, Iowa. That small town is never the same again as long as Miss Gracie Evans is watching all that goes on at the neighbors. She wrestles with boredom as she remembers how active she was on the farm. Her only diversion is rocking on the front porch while she watches the neighbors. Melinda Applegate, another resident, joins Gracie in spying on the neighborhood through peek holes Gracie tore in the vines attached to the porch. One dark night what starts out as harmless snooping turns into a dangerous past time when a murder occurs across the street, and the killer knows the women were watching. The sheriff investigates, but Gracie tells Melinda to stay away from him. They can't accuse the killer without proof. While Gracie and Melinda search for proof, the killer stalks them. The Moser Mansion women fear they will be the killer's next victims all because they were Neighbor Watchers.