1902. Widower Clyde Deacon has recently arrived in the small town of Fairfield, New York, to take up the post of doctor. He is regarded with some suspicion by the town's inhabitants, for not only does he come from Tennessee, but it is also well known that Dr Deacon was personal physician to President McKinley at the time of his assassination. When a beautiful young actress is found murdered, Deacon is asked by the county's overburdened sheriff and long-time friend, Stanley Armstrong, to assist him in the case. Dr Deacon works diligently to solve the crime, only to discover that the inhabitants of Fairfield are not as innocent as they seem, his fetching and talented victim not as blameless as she appears, and the truth more shocking than anyone could have imagined.