Widow Elizabeth Elliot lives a simple life in the bustling town of Cambridge, Massachusetts. As Clerk of the Quaker Meeting, she takes care of the daily business of running the Meeting and leads the congregation in prayerful meditation. She also serves as a moral authority. So when murder strikes at the heart of the nonviolent Quaker community, Elizabeth becomes a delightfully unconventional sleuth. Hope and Sheldon Laughton, a young Quaker couple, refuse to pay war taxes. The IRS plans to repossess the Laughton house due to their debts, so Elizabeth goes to the house to offer moral support. She is horrified to discover Hope murdered, lying in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor. The crime threatens to tear the community apart when suspicion falls upon a number of Quakers. Could the killer be Otto, a young Quaker and dear friend of the Laughtons, who also happened to have had a not-so-secret crush on Hope? Or could it be Sheldon himself, due to unseen strains in their marriage? Even Elizabeth is a suspect, and she is forced to spend a night in jail! Determined to discover the identity of the murderer, Elizabeth combines her quiet wisdom with perseverance as she makes her way to a shocking, disturbing discovery.