Cathleen Kelsey has always been her brother, Charles’s, protector. An eccentric, Bohemian poet, Charles is a bit of an oddball in their small, Long Island town. When he goes missing on Election Eve in 1872, Cathleen discovers he has been tarred and feathered after a flirtatious girl accused him of entering her bedroom and molesting her.

Cathleen is certain Charlie is innocent. She suspects the girl’s fiancé, the wealthy Sam Royals, and his powerful friends are behind the tarring. Realizing the constable is inept, Cathleen reinvents herself as a smart, fearless detective whose quest is to find Charlie and obtain justice. The town divides along class lines: the “Tars” (defending Sam) vs. the “Anti-Tars.” Cathleen proves to be remarkably successful in her detective work, unearthing damning evidence about what the national papers are calling the “Crime of the Century.” But the closer she gets to the truth, the more her enemies are determined to stop her.