Hilda Johansson's relationship with Patrick Cavanaugh satisfies the two of them, but it's creating tension for the families: She's Swedish and certainly not Catholic; he's Irish and the twain should never twine, at least as far as others are concerned. Even in the servants' quarters of the Studebaker household, questions are raised. Of course, Hilda's propensity for getting involved in things that shouldn't be her business - like murder - also raises more than a few eyebrows and makes people forget her love life and worry about whether she'll have any life at all. This is one of those times: The coal mine strikes of 1902 seem to be spilling into places that would be considered immune to such strife. Now a South Bend politician has been murdered, and Patrick's uncle Dan - the dead man's chief opponent - has gone missing and become the prime, and only, suspect. Feeling that the police are doing little to find anyone else who might be responsible, the Malloys take the outrageous step of asking Hilda to put her talents to use for them . . . and offering to pay her for her services. Even if the truth is going to hurt far more than expected.