Unable to support herself, Rachel Ashford lives with her friend Mercy Grove. Jane Bell and some others urge her to open a circulating library with the books she has inherited. Rachel discovers mysteries hidden among the books the villagers donate. A man she once cared about helps her look for clues, but they both find more than they bargained for. Mercy Grove finds managing her girls school fulfilling. When several men take an interest in Ivy Cottage, she assumes it is because of the beautiful Miss Ashford. She finds the truth surprising.
