There's something very wrong at the Otterside care home. When Sam Applewhite tries to help a friend who's lost a beloved pet she finds that it's just the first in a series of seemingly unconnected deaths. Is it her imagination, or do all of them somehow point back to the same residential home for seniors? Sam's skills are in demand elsewhere however, as she must orchestrate a safety drill with animal actors, cook dinner on an abandoned oil rig and keep an eye on those vikings who are building a longship. When the police don't see the pattern, it's all down to Sam, and the closer she gets to uncovering what's going on at Otterside, the more danger she's in.