Rose reveals her cousin Nettie needs a new wedding venue after St. Olaf's only hotel burns down.

Dorothy, Sophia, and Blanche persuade Rose to host Nettie's wedding at their Miami home.

Dorothy goes on a first date with Henry Pattinson at a deli, but he disappears without explanation.

The four women discover a dead man hidden in the hotel freezer among the cheesecakes.

Police swarm the Welcome Tuna Tea and question the four women about the body in the freezer.

Detective Silva reveals the dead man was carrying a note about the time and location of Dorothy's date.

Dorothy is led away in handcuffs from the bridal shower and taken in for police questioning.

Sophia proposes the four women solve the murder themselves so the traditional wedding can proceed.

Dorothy and Sophia go undercover at the hotel and discover Jorgen having a secret affair with Mrs. Corzon.

Dorothy returns to the deli and a waitress confirms Henry left the bathroom in entirely different clothing.

Rose and Nettie get into a car that turns out to be driven by a man working for the General.

Jason pursues the car on a borrowed motorcycle and rescues Rose and Nettie before they reach the Everglades.

Chip lures the group onto a motorboat and pushes both Nettie and Jason overboard into the bay.

Dorothy forces Chip to confess to murdering Morty, and Sophia knocks him unconscious with her purse.

Nettie and Jason's wedding takes place at the women's Miami home, and Detective Silva presents all four with civilian medals.

Rose agrees to host her cousin Nettie's St. Olaf wedding in Miami after their hometown hotel burns down, enlisting her three roommates to help. Dorothy's blind date through a VHS dating service goes wrong, and then the four women discover a dead body hidden in the hotel freezer among the cheesecakes. Police immediately suspect Dorothy of murder, escalating pressure on an already difficult wedding. Sophia convinces the group to investigate themselves, leading to key discoveries about criminal schemes and a case of mistaken identity. Rose and Nettie are kidnapped by a man working for a criminal called the General, but Jason proves his heroism by rescuing them. The real killer Chip is ultimately confronted on a motorboat, forced to confess, and subdued, allowing the wedding to take place with full traditional honors and the detective to commend all four women.

The murder investigation that threatens Nettie's Miami wedding.

Dorothy and Henry speak on the phone, and he enthusiastically agrees to attend Nettie's wedding as her date.

Rose greets Nettie and Jason at the airport and meets best man Jorgen and the rest of the wedding party.

Patricia insists the Welcome Tuna Tea proceed as planned despite the body discovered in the hotel freezer.

Gustave arrives at the Welcome Tuna Tea and sternly challenges whether Rose still truly values St. Olaf's traditions.

Nettie confronts Gustave and her relatives for judging Jason as an outsider who does not belong in the family.

Rose reluctantly tells Nettie that following all St. Olaf wedding traditions is necessary to secure her inheritance.

Detective Silva and FBI Agent Crum interrogate Dorothy, accusing her of concealing her true feelings about Henry.

The Bryants demand total control of the wedding and Nettie's wedding dress is reported stolen.

Rose and Blanche secretly examine hotel mail and find evidence of serious debt and ties to the sugar business.

Aunt Katrina tells Rose she saw a person with a noticeable limp carrying a sack near the hotel kitchen.

The professional clown hired for Nettie's bachelorette party turns out to be an adult entertainer.

Dorothy and her friends visit Henry's home address and discover him arriving alive by boat at the private dock.

Henry reveals that the murdered man was his identical twin brother Morty, a con artist with criminal connections.

Gustave admits to Rose that his harshness stemmed from jealousy of her independence and pledges Nettie will receive her inheritance.

Henry visits the wedding reception and tells Dorothy he is leaving Miami but asks if they can stay in touch.

Dorothy's promising phone call with Henry sets the romance plot in motion while Rose prepares for her family's arrival from Minnesota. The Bryant family's hostility and controlling behavior complicate the wedding from the moment the guests arrive. Dorothy's interrogation by police and the FBI intensifies the mystery's stakes, while Rose and Blanche uncover financial secrets hidden in the hotel mail. Eyewitness testimony from Rose's Aunt Katrina about a limping figure and a scandalous surprise at the bachelorette party push the investigation in new directions. Henry's shocking reappearance at his own home reveals the true identity of the murder victim, and his account of his brother's criminal life provides the final link to the smuggling operation. Gustave's surprising confession of jealousy resolves the inheritance subplot, and Henry's brief visit to the wedding gives Dorothy quiet hope for the future.

The wedding traditions, family tensions, and clues that shaped the investigation.

Dorothy watches VHS dating tapes alone and selects Henry Pattinson, who reminds her of actor Tom Selleck.

Blanche is immediately smitten with best man Jorgen when the wedding party arrives from Minnesota.

Rose decides to serve the cheesecake and continue the Welcome Tuna Tea despite a body being in the freezer.

Rose notices her painted nails at the Welcome Tea and reflects on how much her personal style has changed since St. Olaf.

Dorothy notes the dead man had no glasses and no mole, realizing he may not actually be Henry.

Rose privately suspects Gustave is urging Nettie to elope so the town can withhold control of her inheritance.

Rose directly blames Dorothy for the wedding disruptions after learning the dead man had a note about their date.

Dorothy reassures Rose that her naturally trusting personality is an asset, convincing her to join the investigation.

Dorothy is suspended from her substitute teaching job after her arrest becomes a matter of public record.

Rose overhears women at the bachelorette disco cryptically discussing a local criminal known as Big Sugar.

Nettie calls Rose in tears to announce the wedding is canceled because Jason cares more about tradition than about her.

Rose realizes she has pressured Nettie and Jason to honor tradition ahead of their own happiness, mirroring her grief for Charlie.

Patricia and Chip arrive at the house with a cheesecake as a peace offering, and Chip denies knowing the General.

Rose notices Chip walking with an uneven gait as he escorts the group to the boat at the marina.

Rose apologizes to Dorothy for judging her romantic life, and the four friends celebrate their success over cheesecake.

Dorothy's private selection of Henry from a dating tape and Rose's growing awareness of how much she has changed since St. Olaf set up the novel's central tensions from the very beginning. Key moments of doubt, blame, and loyalty test the friendship between the four women as the murder investigation collides with increasingly fraught wedding planning. Rose's obsession with tradition reaches a breaking point when Nettie calls off the wedding, forcing Rose to confront how she has placed self-validation above the happiness of people she loves. Physical clues and overheard conversations gradually tighten the net around the real killer, culminating in Rose spotting Chip's telltale limp at the marina. The resolution comes through personal realizations and collective courage, as the women subdue Chip and restore their bonds in time for the wedding. The novel closes with Rose apologizing to Dorothy and the four friends sharing cheesecake, reaffirming that friendship is their deepest tradition.