After nine months on the road, sixty-something Maxie McNabb and her miniature dachshund Stretch are ready for some R&R, Alaska-style. But no sooner has Maxie parked the Mini-Winnie than a pleading phone call sends her flying to Hawaii. Karen Bailey, hobbled by an accident, needs Maxie's help. And one thing Maxie can't do is bail on a friend in need. Within hours of her arrival, a prowler tries to break in and someone sabotages the plumbing. And when Maxie hears Karen whispering into the phone "Don't call here ... I'll call you when it's safe, when she's ..." Maxie suspects that Karen is hiding something. Far from home and no longer behind the wheel, Maxie feels as though the ice is melting around her.