Bill Hill is celebrating its first-ever Railroad Days Festival, and the main event is an antiques appraisal and auction. Contributions come from many of the townspeople, but the most valuable item - an ancient Chinese vase worth ten thousand dollars - has been donated anonymously. The benefactor has asked that the proceeds from the vase go to the Blue Hill Library, but Anne barely has time to wonder who could be so generous before the vase is stolen and replaced with a fake. Worse yet, Wendy seems to be the prime suspect in the crime! To clear her friend's name, Anne must find the real thief and the missing vase before the auctioneer starts the bidding. Meanwhile, Grace Hawkins, editor of the Blue Hill Gazette, asks Anne to write a monthly book column. She uses the library's display featuring the civil rights movement as the inspiration for her first piece but is surprised to see several letters condemning the display and her judgment as a librarian. As Anne struggles with how to respond to her detractors, she finds inspiration, as always, from Aunt Edie.