Rita Rose values her ancestral home, so when she overhears her husband Ron discussing meth with his brother, she is horrified as the government may seize property suspected of being involved with crime. She pleads with Ron to get out of meth production, but he refuses to listen, belittles her and slaps her. She stumbles back. He hand lands on a spade's handle and she swings it. Appalled at what she's done, Rita buries Ron in the rose garden. Then Sheriff Cole Anderson knocks on Rita's door with a warrant for Ron's arrest. Rita's troubles multiply with the law on one side, a vicious drug kingpin on the other, and a husband that even she cannot find. To further complicate her life, Rita feels drawn to the sheriff who seems intent on confiscating her property. Faced with seemingly insurmountable odds, Rita fights to save her home using the only weapon she has. Set in Missouri between Sedalia and Truman Lake, the mystery of Under the Roses contains a romantic subplot.