Josie Prescott arrives at the renovated lighthouse in the llittle New Hampshire coastal town of Rocky Point to conduct an antiques appraisal and is horrified to discover the bludgeoned body of her neighbor Zoë's beloved nephew. The owners of the lighthouse are avid antiques collectors, and Josie soon begins to suspect that a scrimshaw tooth from their collection may be the key to solving the crime that has shaken the town, and broken her friend's heart.