Charlie Calderbank always dreamed of being a cop, but a medical issue forces her out of the academy and to rethink her future. When Charlie's Aunt Jo-Jo suffers injuries in a car accident, she offers to help at her aunt's pet hotel, Wiggle Butt Manor, in the charming Pacific Northwest island town of Orca Cove. 

With her Cocker Spaniel Noah at her side, she settles into life on the island and at the Manor. When the owner of Maya, the precocious mutt, is murdered, Jo-Jo becomes a suspect, forcing Charlie to find the real killer before they put her aunt away for good. While she rushes to hide clues that point to her aunt, she tries to wrangle Maya into control. But she, too, seems eager to solve the case and doesn't follow the rules. Charlie's quest leads her to uncover plenty of the small town's secrets, and to fall for the hot local cop trying to find the killer. It also puts her on the radar of the murderer, who will do anything to protect their secret, including making Charlie the next victim.