At the request of Richard Bennett, a friend and a popular actor, Jessica Fletcher goes to an auction to bid for the diary of a dead woman whose journal was stolen on the night of her death. Jessica soon discovers that many more people are intent on getting their hands on the diary but before any bids are made, Bennett is found murdered and the diary goes missing again.

Jessica Fletcher is disputing the inclusion of her short story in a girlie magazine when she finds herself confronted by the murder of the magazine's owner.