Despite all the healthful benefits of essential oils, they can't prevent the murder of distributor, Dorcas Wiley, nor keep Cathy Broderick, one of her team members, from being arrested as her killer. Fortunately, Cathy plays mah jongg with Sydney Bonner and her three cronies—Marianne, Micki and Kat—who recently helped catch the culprit in another homicide. Though Cathy hires a top-notch defense attorney who can bring in professional investigators, she wants her friends to get involved.
But Syd was nearly killed in her previous adventure. She's content to leave crime-solving to the authorities until Cathy's husband prevails upon Syd and her husband, Trip, to give his wife some peace of mind by checking out the key suspects on their own. To Syd's surprise, Trip agrees, figuring if they work as a team, he can protect her this time. But Trip sees teamwork as inserting his thoughts and questions even when she has the floor, until Syd must finally put him in his place.
Despite the ups and downs of their investigation, daily life with its own challenges and drama still goes on in their central Florida town of Serendipity Springs. With the support of her friends, including the sheriff, who has taken a personal interest in her, Kat deals with the early stages of breast cancer. Trip attempts to plan a repositioning cruise. Micki faces her ex ten years after their divorce. Fortunately, the foursome has their weekly game of mah jongg to maintain their sanity.