The Poe family (yes, that Poe) celebrates the matron's eightieth birthday at Edisto Beach. But in a macabre sense of legacy, the members assume a vengeful script of poisonous tricks as they vie for a place in grandmother's Will.

When the grandson is poisoned, Edisto Beach Police Chief Callie Morgan arrives to nail the culprit, only for the family to call the act a prank. All possess the culinary skills endowed upon them by the Grand Dame Doris Woolf Poe, author of a renowned cookbook, and the culprit could be any one of them.

Callie finds herself in the middle of a passive-aggressive family feud of the highest order while at the same time juggling her own family feud as her mother tries to suck Callie's son into a political role he has no desire to pursue. Then when Callie learns her son knows the Poes, her professional and personal lives cross into territory that leads her into very uncomfortable territory.