Just weeks after inheriting Rosebank, a once-magnificant plantation on the banks of the Bayou Teche, David Patin died in a mysterious fire that destroyed his popular New Orleans restaurant. In the aftermath, his daughter Vivian and wife, Charlotte, are shocked to discover that the family finances are as run-down as their only remaining asset -- Rosebank.

With her degree in hotel management and her mother's restaurant expertise, Vivian Patin decides to restore the family fortunes by turning the lushly overgrown and decaying Rosebank into a resort hotel with all the sultry charm of old Louisiana. But Vivian's dream becomes a nightmare when she finds the family's lawyer dead on the sprawling grounds of the estate -- with a rose on his chest and a brilliant lipstick mark on his cheek. Suddenly Vivian begins to wonder if someone is targeting Rosebank and the Patin family . . . And if her father's death was, in fact, an accident.

Dissatisfied with the local police investigation, Vivian approaches Spike Devol, deputy sheriff of a nearby town, who has a reputation for being smart, honest and tough. She asks him to help her find the truth. But the instant attraction between them leaves Spike reluctant to get involved -- until he discovers that Vivian could be the next victim. When another shocking murder occurs at Rosebank, it's clear that the stakes have never been higher -- and that now it's up to Spike and Vivian to catch a killer . . . Before he kills again.