When genealogist Torie O'Shea gets an invitation from her favorite aunt, Sissy, to come and spend some time with her in Minnesota she jumps at the chance. She piles her husband and her father-in-law into the car, leaving her two daughters in the care of her mother back home in Missouri, and hits the road, looking forward to some relaxation and some family bonding. Once they arrive, Torie finds out that her aunt's invitation was not so innocent: Sissy has uncovered a 150-year-old diary in the attic of her home and is dying to find out who wrote it and where it came from.Certain she won't be able to find anything, Torie reluctantly dives in. She is immediately riveted by the author's story; a young Swedish woman living with her family in 1850s rural Minnesota, she had fallen in love with a man she couldn't have. When the diary ends abruptly with hints of brutal violence, Torie becomes enmeshed in a deadly mystery passed down through generations-and still festering today....

When genealogist Torie O'Shea returns home to New Kassell, Missouri, from a vacation in Minnesota, she finds two surprises: first, her mother-in-law is coming to town, and second, her mentor and boss, Sylvia, has finally passed away at the age of 102. Grief-stricken and further distressed by her mother-in-law's unannounced visit, Torie is dumbstruck when she learns that Sylvia has left all of her worldly possessions to Torie including the Gaheimer House, which houses the local historical society. With gigantic boxes of artifacts and paperwork dating back to the 1920's to sort through, Torie is quite overwhelmed.But cleaning out Sylvia's things, she finds something strange: an old postcard from the late twenties, addressed to Sylvia, with a photograph of a little girl on the front and an ominous message on the back. Torie quickly becomes determined to uncover the truth behind the mysterious photograph. Who is the little girl? And where was the photograph taken? ...