Moving to a country cottage where she seeks refuge in a paranormally charged garden, Evangeline Ames is rescued from a would-be assassin by the garden's owner, Lucas Sebastian, who taps Evangeline's detective skills to solve a buried-treasure mystery and stop a common enemy.

Barely escaping a would-be abductor who has left a trail of victims in his wake, world traveler Miss Amity Doncaster discovers that her attacker has become obsessed with gossip that ties Amity to scientist Benedict Stanbridge, a spy for the throne who resolves to bring the killer to justice.