Lucy Stone is in the doghouse with her next-door neighbor, Mrs. Prudence Pratt. It seems that Kudo, the Stonesā misbehaving mutt, has developed a taste for Mrs. Prattās blue-ribbon winning chickens, as well as an escape artistās talent for sneaking out. With the Fourth of July coming up, Lucy doesnāt want to set off any more fireworks with the crabby Prudence. Another sign that the crazy days of summer are in full swing arrives when a group of naturistsāa.k.a. nudistsādescends on Tinkerās Cove, skinny-dipping at the pond that borders Mrs. Prattās property, giving her something else to complain about. Worse still, the local lobstermen are upset about poachers, and suspicion falls on Mrs. Prattās husband and son. Then the July Fourth fireworks are canceled to protect a patch of extremely rare purple-spotted lichen, and Mrs Pratt is the victim of a hit and run. Tinker's Cove is full of suspects, but none with so personal a motive as the Stones. Their feud with Mrs. Pratt has put them at risk of losing their freedom this Independence Dayāunless Lucy can start things off with a bang by catching a killerā¦