In 1905, Suzanna is in training to be a well-mannered hostess at a Loch Harbor, New Brunswick, hotel, but her dream of being a detective gets a boost when a seven-year-old guest goes missing and Suzanna's uncle, a famous detective, comes to solve the case.
In 1904, eleven-year-old Suzanna is delighted with her grandmother's invitation to spend time in Boston and thrilled to help her famous uncle investigate a series of arsons, but much less pleased to be enrolled in Miss Lydia Doucette's Academy for Young Ladies.