Janice is thrilled when she hears that her childhood friend is coming to Marietta for a surveyors conference. Her excitement turns to intrigue when she learns that he is in possession of an antique compass reported to have belonged to George Washington. But when Anthony arrives with plans to present the compass to the historical society, another conference attendee accuses him of stealing it from her father over forty years earlier. Then the stakes are raised when Anthony is attacked, and the compass is stolen! As Janice and her friends search for the culprit, more people show up claiming a connection to the compass. Who could have stolen it? Is Anthony being truthful about how he came to own it? Can Prudence Willard's journal offer clues to help them get to the bottom of the mystery?