Gideon's short-lived run as a locally famous boy detective ended when middle school started. Now he's sixteen and officially retired. That is, until his best friend Lily shows up suddenly at Gideon's door, needing his help. As a cover, Gideon joins Lily on the school paper. As the case gets bigger than Gideon or Lily could have anticipated, Gideon must balance his black-and-white quest for the truth with the full colors of real life, or risk a permanent fade to black.