CharlotteFrayne''s boss, Mr. Gilmore,travels to Europe in the fall of 1936on a mysterious trip, leavingherin charge of the detective agency.The redoubtableMrs. Jessop hiresCharlottetoinvestigatethe untimely death of her son, adisfigured and injuredveteranof theGreat War. The police ruled it a suicide, but Mrs. Jessop doesn''t agree and wants Charlotte to find out what really happened.
On the same day,Charlotte is hired to infiltrate a small women''s wear manufacturer to uncover communist agitatorsthe owner believes are responsible for thelabourunrest in his company. When the factory supervisor isdiscoveredmurdered on the jobthe same dayCharlotteturns up for her firstshiftat Ladies'' Superior Clothing, shefindsherselfsecondedbythe policein their investigations.
The November clouds darken and Charlotte is left to struggle to solve two mysteries at the same time-until they intersect.