With her mother in Europe, Deanna is staying with the Ballard family, who agree to chaperone her through the summer season and guide her toward an advantageous marriage proposal-or so her mother hopes. Relishing her new freedom, Deanna is more interested in buying one of the fashionable new bathing costumes, joining a ladies' bicycling club, and befriending an actress named Amabelle Deeks, all of which would scandalize her mother. Far more scandalous is the discovery of a young man bludgeoned to death on the conservatory floor at Bonheur, the Ballards' sumptuous "cottage." Deanna recognizes him as an actor who performed at the birthday fete for a prominent judge the night before. But why was he at Bonheur? And where is Amabelle? Concerned her new friend may be in danger-or worse-Deanna enlists the help of her intrepid maid, Elspeth, and her former beau, Joe Ballard, to find Amabelle before the villain of this drama demands an encore.