From the moment Dana Bowman sees the redheaded nun arguing with a man on Main St. and Bast Overture receives an email from Eli Foster asking him to find her birth parents, the twin PIs are thrust into a complex chain of events involving extortion, stalking, fire, vandalism, secret adoptions, a bank robbery, assault, and murders - past and present.

The nun, Sister Margaret Olsen, is suspected of pushing her younger brother, Larry, into traffic, killing him. Detective Sergeant Donald Fielding asks the twins to do an independent background check on her. When she arrives at the Attic Investigative Agency, Dana recognizes her as the teacher who assaulted her as a child. Now the nun is a staff writer for The Catholic Monitor.

Dana and Fielding continue to skirt around their growing attraction. Fielding's new partner, Detective Claire Simpson and Dana clash over Fielding and over Simpson's dog, Buddy, who has bonded with David Bowman. David, now 7, continues to work his way through the aftermath of his kidnapping last year. Bast has a new boyfriend, Zeb Charters, whom Dana instantly dislikes. Eli Foster gives the twins mixed information and is seen lurking outside The Monitor after Father Browne, the publisher, is attacked and the offices vandalized. Hovering in the background throughout the twists and turns is the nameless woman fixated on killing with an axe.

Then Dana is attacked. Suffering the after-effects of concussion, Dana struggles to remember what actually did happen and tries to get her personal and work life back to normal. However, bad decisions and bad memory might just get her killed.