Jessica Fletcher knows better than anyone that creativity is meant to be nurtured. So when a young lady from Cabot Cove shows promise as a country-and-western singer and songwriter, Jessica and a local citizens’ committee send the talented teen on a scholarship trip to Nashville, Tennessee, where she can benefit from professional instruction.

But only weeks after the farewell party, Cabot Cove is shocked to hear of the cold-blooded murder of a brash country music publisher by Cyndi Gabriel, the beneficiary of Cabot Cove’s generosity. Cyndi’s mother begs Jessica to help her daughter, and Jess is soon traveling to the country music capital of the world to aid the wayward starlet.

Once there, Jessica finds that the bright lights and lilting melodies of Nashville hide the ruthless realities of the music business. It turns out that the murdered man was no country gentleman, with a list of ex-wives, cheated partners, swindled singers, and stolen songs that has Jessica swinging to and fro in the search for a killer. And if she can’t uncover the culprit soon, Jess knows that poor Cyndi will never get the chance for an encore.