In the quaint mountain town of Pine Bluff, Oregon, fall has arrived and it's time for the annual Timber Festival, complete with Lumberjack and Lumberjill contests, and booths serving spicy chili and creamy pumpkin pies. Widowed hardware store owner Dawna Carpenter is selling cookbooks at a booth in the park for a fundraiser her women's group is running. She's looking forward to soaking in all her favorite things about the season, including hoping to have a conversation with her deceased husband, who she thinks is still hanging around the house.

But when Dawna falls over the body of one of the lumberjacks, with his own throwing axe imbedded in his chest, her focus turns to murder. With the town in turmoil, Dawna takes Chief Dallas's request to keep her ears open as a full license to snoop. She'd better watch her back, or Dawna might be the next one to get the axe.