Dewey Pellicano is planning to mix a little business with pleasure at the Sewing-by-the-Sea Symposium in Asilomar, California. When not minding her shop at the quilting conference, she'll be enjoying the salty sea air. Then her vacation plans are ruined by Martha Madsen, the militant conference director, who dictates that Quilter's Paradiso remain open twelve hours daily. Hmph! In a rare free moment, Dewey sneaks a walk on the beach one foggy morning and witnesses a woman disappear into the Pacific Ocean. But when no body turns up, nobody believes her, not even her brother Tony or her boyfriend Buster.

Clearly something is amiss when an attendee disappears, an antique sewing kit is stolen, and Martha Madsen is found dead. With Buster and Tony away tracking an injured mountain lion, Dewey is left alone to piece together an odd assortment of clues.

Armed only with blueprint fabric and her wits, can Dewey find a pattern in this crazy quilt of a murder mystery?