Newfoundland, 1902. Right up until the night of Tuesday, October 14th, Natty Cooke had thought that young Brian Stevens suffered a mental affliction. All that beating at the air with his hands, all those delusions of long-ago transatlantic cable ships. As the maid in the Stevens household, she had befriended Brian, and it was a good thing considering how his family treated him. But on that evening of October 14th, Natty Cooke discovered the horrible truth about Brian. And then, suddenly, Natty was gone. Bea MacDonald, the new maid, is compelled to investigate the disappearance of her friend. She discovers disturbing information about Brian. And blackmail. And murder. With her young cousin Jean as her Morse code interpreter, and their peculiar relative, Mildred, as a constant companion, Bea begins to unravel the mystery of the Stevens household. But what will happen to Bea when she finally discovers the truth about Brian?