When the Ohio River freezes over, the friends take advantage of the rare occurrence to refresh their skating skills. But their elation quickly gives way to curiosity when they find a unique old leather purse that holds a Civil War-era recipe for soup. Winnie is delighted to try it out--minus, of course, the cryptic addition of five poisonous toadstools noted on the recipe! The women's excitement is shattered when the first person to taste the soup--a public radio correspondent, staying at the in while she researches her ancestor, a respected judge during the Civil War-- becomes dreadfully ill after eating it.  Meanwhile, Tess's melancholy memories of her beloved late husband, Jeffrey, surface on the anniversary of their first date--on ice skates--and his marriage proposal that followed at the same place a year later. A revelation from a charming Marietta newcomer further stirs up her feelings of grief and loss. Can Tess find a way for her heart to move on and embrace the possibility of love again.