Death is discovered on an idyllic Southern California island when feisty British tabloid reporter Tosca Trevant arrives from Cornwall. Banished from her royal beat by Buckingham Palace she stumbles across human remains in the garden of a renowned music professor. Facing danger twice over, she sleuths with the help of a retired Secret Service Agent who harbors his own secrets, and a few well-chosen Cornish cusswords. Tosca brings her knowledge of classical music and rare medieval instruments to sort out the clues and solve the puzzle in traditional Agatha Christie style.