With the holidays approaching, Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen and her best friend Susan Tucker take a much- needed time-out at the mountain monastery of Mt. Carmel. There, under the benevolent gaze of the statue of The Virgin Mary, their worldly worries are soon overshadowed. For in front of their very eyes, the statue begins to cry tears of blood.

Legend has it that Mary's crimson tears are harbingers of crises. And though skeptical, the ever-practical Harry can already see one on the horizon. If leaked, news of the so- called miracle could turn the monastery and the town of Crozet into a circus. What Harry doesn't foresee is murder...

When Susan's great uncle Thomas, a resident monk, is found frozen to death at the base of the statue, foul play is ruled out--at first. But at Harry's urging, the body is exhumed for an autopsy. There's just one problem: the coffin is empty. That's when Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tucker stick their noses get involved. Plus, there's a shocking revelation of a decades' old mystery that has perplexed the citizens of Crozet for ages.

With Christmas around the corner, and the monastery overrun by the faithful, all Harry's meddling menagerie can do is stay on her trail as she jumps knee-deep into an unofficial investigation--one that becomes more dangerous when another Crozet citizen meets an untimely demise. In this case, it will be a miracle if Harry stays alive...