Local theater diva Vivian Borne—a.k.a. Brandy's mother—is sheriff of Serenity County now, but still hot on the trail of precious antiques. On a tour of the historic Wentworth Mansion, the two dedicated dealers are aglow at the priceless objects...never dreaming everything will turn to ashes. Hours later, a charred corpse in the ruins is identified as the mansion's caretaker, a one-time flame of Vivian's.

Tony Cassato, Serenity's Chief of Police, throws cold water on Sheriff Vivian's suspicions of murder. But when Brandy spots a familiar item for sale on the internet, Mother suspects the fire is just a smoke screen—and then their doggie detective, Sushi the shih tzu, sniffs out a second body in the woods. Now Mother and Brandy must turn up the heat on a homicidal torcher—because any killer who takes on the Borne girls is playing with fire.