In the summer of 1953 at Haggerman's Catskills Resort, daring young widow Elizabeth must solve the mystery surrounding the death of a reclusive guest whose body was found in the lake on the grounds in order to save the business from going under.

It's the summer of 1953, and Elizabeth Grady is settling into Haggerman's Catskills Resort. As a vacation getaway, Haggerman's is ideal, and although Elizabeth's ostentatious but well-meaning mother is new to running the resort, Elizabeth is eager to help her organize the guests and the entertainment acts. But Elizabeth will have to resort to untested methods if she wants to save her mother's business. When a reclusive guest is found dead in a lake on the grounds, and a copy of 'The Communist Manifesto' is discovered in his cabin, the local police chief is convinced that he was a Russian spy. But Elizabeth isn't so sure, and with the fate of the resort hanging in the balance, she'll need to dodge red herrings, withstand the Red Scare, and catch a killer red-handed.