Maggy Thorsen's heart, uncharacteristically, is swelling with optimism. Sure, her original Wisconsin coffeehouse, Uncommon Grounds, was destroyed in a freak early May blizzard. But, thanks to friend and new business partner, Sarah Kingston, a perfect location for its successor has been found in a quaint Brookhills railroad station recently revitalized by the creation of a commuter-rail connection between the old depot and the city of Milwaukee, fifteen miles east.

Maggy and Sarah hope to piggyback the grand reopening of Uncommon Grounds on the media coverage of Dedication Day for the train's two terminal points. Maggy even digs deep into her development budget and commissions a giant inflatable Uncommon Grounds coffee cup for the celebrations. All seems perfectly poised for the great day, until Brookhills' in absentia event manager, JoLynne Penn-Williams, finally makes her appearance - as a corpse in Maggy's piece de resistance. . .