On the morning of her wedding, Miss Bernadette Baldwin witnesses the burning of the community center, and wonders if her fiancé, Thomas Edwards, played a hand in its destruction. She helps the neighbors put out the fire, acquires a kitten, burns her hand, and meets the new physician, Dr. Keith Joel. With no place to wed and no groom, she continues her routine as a housekeeper at the Ruby Hotel. In the afternoons, she plays the banjo at the open market. Dr. Joel insists on treating Bernie’s hand and uses it as an excuse to see her. When a guest room at the Ruby Hotel is robbed, Bernie is thrown into the mystery and the events that will change the course of her life.