Summer Rose Krause tries ­-- really she does -- but she simply can't manage to stay out of trouble. It's 1965 and at only 21 years old -- hailing from a prominent Michigan family, no less -- she finds herself in jail for the second time. When the judge renders a sentence of community service in a small, hick town Summer's never heard of, the young woman is certain she's doomed. Little does she know, she's about to stumble straight into a murder case and fall in love with a man who's altogether wrong for her, all in one fell swoop.

As Summer becomes entangled in the lives of the sometimes quirky and always fascinating townsfolk, she can't help but delve into the truth behind the murder. Soon, she's steeping in stories about the Roaring Twenties, a speakeasy, the infamous Detroit Purple Gang, and a mysterious gangster moll. The resulting shocking revelations teach Summer a lot over the summer, but will it be enough to get the girl to settle down? Her secrets may run deeper than even she knows.