The mansion on Goodwinter Boulevard is more than a retreat for crime writer Jim Qwilleran - it is the scene of another delightful Cat Who... mystery. Qwill rents the Gage mansion in Pickax, and soon after moving in, he and Koko discover fifteen closets jammed with several generations' worth of junk. Koko, of course, is on the case, and what he discovers will shock Pickax and Moose County. What connection could obsolete currency, canceled checks, and an old bankbook have with nail clippers, foot powder, and a man's argyle sock? Something is definitely brewing in Pickax. But what starts out as junk turns into something else. The action begins when Qwill decides to simulate a newscast covering the great fire of 1869. An infamous event in Moose County, this fire burned half of the county to the ground. Now Qwill is about to put Pickax back on the map with a discovery that will uncover long-buried secrets of the Gage family. While enjoying a new life in Florida, the mansion's former occupant, Euphonia Gage, apparently committed suicide. But why would someone as happy and full of life as Euphonia kill herself? And what is the connection between the Gage family and dead potato farmer Gil Inchpot - who is found in the snow with a bullet hole in his head? Can Qwill and the cats get to the bottom of this mystery before the winter yields another dead body?