When her friend persuades her to break her post-Christmas funk with a hike, Lori Shepherd figures on a pleasant five hours walking through the beautiful English countryside, possibly watching lambs gamboling (whatever that is). But when she takes a wrong turn and England is hit by the blizzard of the century, Lori finds herself snowbound in a strange house--deserted except for an ancient caretaker with a shotgun, and two fellow Americans, similarly caught by the unexpected snowfall. Those, along with her stuffed rabbit and the notebook that contains the spirit of Lori's Aunt Dimity.
The odds of three Americans being caught by snow in one small building don't seem high and Lori is suspicious. She gets even more suspicious when Catchpole, the caretaker, tells the tragic story of the late owner of the building--and her hatred for anything American. Following Aunt Dimity's advice, Lori starts a treasure hunt for whatever the building's owner supposedly lost--or had stolen. But Lori isn't the only person hunting and her suspicions quickly turn to Wendy--the American backpacker who just happens to have a crowbar in her pack.