Thalia has inherited the weekly newspaper, the Maxworth Chronicle, after her father's death. Her first big story recounts the assassination of President McKinley. Luckily for her, her mother, visiting from St. Louis, has actually met the young Roosevelt and can provide some personal memories of his unique personality. As the year goes on, Thalia and the citizens of Maxworth have to deal with a crime spree and a church social ends with an attempted robbery. Later, Thalia visits her mother in St. Louis for Christmas and learns a bit of a mystery about her relatives. Maxworth's Harvest Festival celebration ends with a big bang. And the final shattering secret is revealed only hours before the biggest event of Thalia's life.