After surviving the San Francisco Earthquake and Fire that killed her parents ten years ago, Maude Teasdale Cavendish has been busy raising her baby brother, getting married and divorced, and writing the society column for the San Francisco Globe. Her dream is to one day stop going to boring parties and instead cover the newspaper's police beat. While attending yet another party, she is kidnapped by a group of Hindus and escapes. When the original target goes missing, Maude knows she has her front-page story. With the help of her brother George and a mysterious baron she uncovers a plot that could have international consequences.