Tommi Poag's first job as a member of her Greensboro, North Carolina, condo association board is to convince Fulton Ridenhour to drop the lawsuit he filed after his show dog ran away while association homes were being painted. Before Tommi has any success, Ridenhour is murdered at a historic battle reenactment, and her friend Garland Merritt is arrested after Ridenhour's blood is found on his sword.